For Samsung, sustainability agenda attracts investment

Samsung is one of the newest powerhouses on the Leaf Top of Mind. After winning five awards in 2019, the South Korean manufacturer won seven categories in the Datafolha survey in 2021, including Top of the Top, Confidence, Performance, Innovation, TV Device, Smartphone & Tablet and Computer & Notebook.

Part of this success is due, in the company’s assessment, to the centrality of the company’s products in the lives of Brazilians during the last two years of the pandemic. According to Anna Karina Pinto, corporate marketing director at Samsung, the brand gained visibility during the quarantine period, which reinforced the importance of devices such as cell phones, TVs and computers.

The Performance category of the Folha Top of Mind award, for example, is proof of this trend: from 2020 to 2021, Samsung grew 28 percentage points in Computer & Notebook.

In addition, the company invests in sustainability projects, such as the Re+, a global recycling program, and the partnership with Royal DSM, which reuses discarded fishing nets in the manufacture of the brand’s products.

For Karina, “the sustainability agenda has become one of the main topics of discussion with stakeholders, including the media, investors and consumers, and today it effectively contributes to attracting investments, employee engagement and brand reputation.”

Below, read an interview with Anna Karina Pinto, corporate marketing director at Samsung:

Samsung was the biggest champion of Folha Top of Mind in two of the last three editions. What is the evaluation of this history?

Anna Karina Pinto – For Samsung, it is an honor to be recognized as a Top of Mind brand in Brazil. We believe that the people who build a brand’s reputation are people, from those who make a daily commitment to deliver the best results on the most different fronts of action to those who trust our values ​​and commitments.

How do the Datafolha survey results contribute to the company?

Providing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how the brand is perceived in different regions, in front of a diverse audience. We have maintained a valuable and inseparable relationship with Brazilians for over 35 years, which we consider an important part of this brand memory. We play a fundamental role in the democratization of access to technologies in the country. Therefore, we seek to expand our portfolio with options that meet the most varied consumer profiles. And this is only possible when we look at data and facts like Top of Mind.

How did Samsung expand its presence in the PC market?

Samsung is always attentive to changes in behavior. Since the beginning of the pandemic, mobile devices have become more present in consumers’ lives, from longer and more frequent video calls to content consumption. In recent years, computers have become indispensable not only for work, but also for study and entertainment and, therefore, they are increasingly present in Brazilian homes.

Samsung’s differential is that we promote a differentiated experience to consumers with the Galaxy ecosystem, which allows connectivity between different devices. The expectation is that sales will continue to evolve, as the hybrid work model advances and face-to-face education returns.

Has the increased public perception of sustainability changed the company’s behavior and actions?

For Samsung, sustainability is linked to a business vision, in the sense of using human resources and technologies to positively impact society.

An example of actions with this focus is Re+, Samsung’s global recycling program for the free and ecologically correct disposal of electronics and home appliances of any brand. The initiative arrived in Brazil in 2017 and now, in the first half of 2022, it has achieved a growth of almost 190% in the number of items collected compared to the same period in 2021.

We have observed that the sustainability agenda has become one of the main topics of discussion with stakeholders, including the media, investors and consumers, and today it effectively contributes to attracting investment, employee engagement and brand reputation.

What are the company’s sustainability goals?

Samsung has set an initial set of targets to be achieved by 2025 to reduce its environmental footprint and decrease resource depletion, from production to disposal of products. The company has committed to reducing the power consumption of stand-by chargers to 0.005W; use recycled material in their products; and eliminate all plastics in cell phone packaging, reaching zero landfills by the year 2025.

In addition, aware of the fact that, every year, countless marine organisms die after becoming entangled in fishing nets discarded at sea, Samsung chose to use this resource in the manufacture of its devices. The company has partnered with Royal DSM to recover fishing nets from fishermen who collect them along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. With this partnership, plastics that would be discarded in the ocean 50 km from the coast are rescued.

What are the forecasts for the technology market?

At Samsung, we see the arrival of 5G technology in Brazil as a very important moment for the local technology landscape, and we play a key role in the network’s progress. The company contributed to the development of industry standards, designed semiconductors, created 5G devices and installed networking equipment around the world.

We also see that various technologies are emerging to elevate the user experience, and consumers are prioritizing devices that make daily tasks easier. Mobility, performance and high performance will increasingly be essential characteristics. People today are looking for more sophisticated devices that fully meet their needs, especially since they have been living longer indoors.