Samsung Electronics rolled out its 2008 Beijing Olympics marketing strategy with hopes of boosting sales and brand recognition in China.

Samsung's announcement comes after Coca-Cola launched Olympics-tailored packaging in January and Lenovo embarked on its advertising and marketing initiatives in late March, suggesting a flare-up in Olympics marketing leading up to the event.

Samsung yesterday launched three new mobile phones for the Olympics and announced the appointment of Liu Xuan, an Olympic gymnastics champion, as the company's Games ambassador.

The campaign "shows Samsung's commitment to continue its journey to spread true Olympic values in the most proactive and comprehensive manner", said Gyehyun Kwon, Samsung's vice-president of worldwide sport marketing and global communications.

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The company said it is committed to building a wireless Games through its Wireless Olympic Works, which was used in Athens in 2004 and Turin in 2006.

Kwon declined to disclose howmuch the company is spending on the campaign, but said Samsung will "invest enough to make the Beijing Olympics a success".

"The Olympics is a very important and valuable opportunity for Samsung. We expect it to enhance our corporate brand and allow us to tap new markets in China," he said.

Since 1998, when Samsung partnered with the Nagano Games, the company has quickly developed into an international brand by leveraging the Olympics.

Samsung is now focused on "strengthening brand preference and brand loyalty among targeted consumers", Kwon said.

In April, the company signed a sponsorship agreement with the International Olympic Committee up to 2016. China is now Samsung's third-largest market in terms of revenue, after the EU and the US.