There is an article circulating social media claiming that Samsung is pulling out of its billion-dollar advertising deal with the IOC. Samsung has made no such statement and the article was originally published on a fake news site.
An article published in Esspots on 28 July states that Samsung Electronics has issued a press release announcing the end of its multi-billion advertising campaign for the Olympics. Esspots calls itself a channel for satire and false information. According to the channel, Samsung justifies the withdrawal of the campaign by saying that the values of the Olympics, which prevailed at the opening ceremony, are no longer in line with those of the company.
The article attributes a number of quotes to Samsung, the main message of which is the excessive politicisation of the Olympics. In addition, it quotes an IOC representative, who wishes to remain anonymous. The alleged IOC representative claims that Samsung’s decision is a major blow to the Games.
The article concludes by claiming that Samsung now intends to use its advertising budget to support events that are more in line with its core values and which value traditional sporting performance.
Screenshots from the article have been posted dozens of times by various Facebook users, at least one of which has been shared more than 15 thousand times.
Samsung to continue as Olympic partner
Samsung has not made any official press release announcing dropping out of advertising at the Olympics. Samsung has been a sponsor of the Olympics since 1988 and an official partner since 1998. The global partnership in force today will continue through to 2028.
Contrary to the claims by Esspots, in recent days, Samsung has made a number of press releases showing its continued close cooperation with the Olympic Games. For example, on the 28th of July a story from Samsung’s Newsroom reads: „Samsung Brings Fans Closer to Athletes Than Ever for Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony“.The next day another story was published by Samsung drawing attention to medalists sharing their wins on a Samsung phone. Samsung’s official social media channels also show their strong presence at the Olympics.
The article is false
There is a disclaimer under the article, where the author states that they write satirical pieces. Similar disclaimer is on the site’s „About us“ page, where it’s written that Esspots is a team of writers and editors „dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest fake news and absurdity,“ and that on the Essepots page you can expect to find all sorts of hilarious stories and parodies about US politics, culture, and society.
Although the reader is warned with disclaimers, the style of the page is not what one would expect from a satirical publication. Rather, what is written is supplemented with references and quotes, so that it continues to give the impression of real news. This is why the article has misled several thousand people and gone viral.
