#CHANGE MAKERS: SAMSUNG

José Correia, IM Division Product Head of Samsung Portugal, talks to ModaLisboa about Technology, Responsibility and Creativity.

The sponsoring brands of MODALISBOA METAPHYSICAL are, in essence, powerful engines of change. #CHANGEMAKERS are short interviews that give voice to those who work daily to build a solid, transparent, inclusive and sustainable future.

Building a ModaLisboa with strong foundations in technology would not be possible without mentioning Samsung: all the stories on Instagram and Facebook of this Lisbon Fashioa Week will be produced from a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G. In addition to that, Samsung will participate in our FAST TALKS to talk about the importance and responsibility of major brands in society, and has an activation in ​​MODALISBOA METAPHYSICAL’s Social Lounge that makes us look at technology from another angle. Or rather, from all angles. 

This is the first Lisboa Fashion Week of 2022 and, together, we want to start the year in a mood of change. What are the fundamental values ​​that guide you today?
Everything we do must be guided by the global commitment to develop technology, solutions or services with purpose based on the needs of our consumers. As market leaders, we have to set an example and assume, for example, a sustainable posture by introducing increasingly demanding environmental certification standards in a clear commitment to technology with purpose. Our commitment is to provide a range of highly energy efficient products that promote a reduction in the ecological footprint and contribute to the preservation of the environment. Improving people’s quality of life and showing how technology can play a fundamental and facilitating role is what moves us – what guides us as a brand. We are a global citizen company that assumes that it is extremely important to mobilize a new generation of citizens to act and achieve goals such as climate degradation together, as we are all engines of change that are intended to be positive.

Creativity is at the root of everything we do. What still needs to be created?
There are no barriers to creativity at Samsung, we remain at the forefront of technology development, providing people with personalized experiences that enrich their lives. This is, without a doubt, one of the most important factors for the company’s success on Portuguese soil. Year after year, we have been showing our ability to respond to what consumers are looking for, especially with an increasingly vast portfolio and, in this chapter, we are confident of the path we are taking with the innovation brought by our latest folding smartphones. Equipment that has attracted attention, aroused curiosity and obtained great impressions from Portuguese consumers. We believe that we have reached the ideal moment for this mobile category, which allows people to break routines and go further, so there will be enough reasons to continue creating. In addition, our Brand Promise — #DoWhatYouCant — reflects this same mindset and purpose as Samsung, of challenging ourselves with each passing day. Challenging progress, motivating exploration and the search for new challenges, innovations centered on people and their human benefit with technology that improves everyone’s lives. A philosophy that is also present in all communications and actions of the brand, inviting the community to share this feeling of empowerment – ​​with the right spirit, doing what was not possible until then is, for us, always something attainable.

We are running towards an era where the consumer is moved less for the product and more for the purpose. What steps are you taking in that direction?
Especially in these times we are living, trust is an attribute that all brands strive to achieve. This is the seventh year that the Portuguese have chosen Samsung as their trusted brand, and this is something we are very proud of. These numbers indicate that we are on the right path and that we must continue to invest in the development of equipment that adds value to the daily lives of our consumers, this is and will always be Samsung’s focus alongside sustainability, as it is essential that large companies, such as Samsung, become active agents of change, which are not limited to good wills, but to concrete actions that positively impact communities and the planet.

What continues to inspire you every day?
We work to maintain a strategic position regarding the use of new major technological trends – such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT, connectivity, security — in our product portfolio. And this goes far beyond smartphones and tablets, reaching home appliances and televisions, with a strong focus on smart solutions for the home.

What motivates us and what fundamentally differentiates our portfolio from the competition, in addition to the usual quality to which our consumers are accustomed, are precisely the innovative features that we incorporate in all the products we launch on the market based on a robust and safe ecosystem. The will to innovate is part of the brand’s DNA and we will continue to invest in the integration of hardware with software and services to create solutions that facilitate the daily lives of our consumers whose demands and needs change daily along with the speed with that new emerging technologies become part of our lives.

What do you believe to be the role of brands in building a more humane, transparent, ethical and inclusive future?
As I mentioned, the role of big brands is absolutely fundamental for the construction of a fairer and more conscious society. In the current times, we face more and more challenges and unexpected situations for which we were not at all prepared, hence it is vital to have the ability to reinvent ourselves and to be able to transmit a positive message day by day to the different communities in which we operate. As agents of change, we are responsible for offering everyone the possibility of accessing the best of technology, regardless of their condition or values.

Community building is one of the greatest powers — and responsibilities — of a brand. How would you describe your community?
This year we celebrate 40 years in the Portuguese market, and year after year we have managed to increase our community in Portugal. The trust deposited on us over all these years makes us very proud and with more reasons to continue to follow this path side by side with our consumers. Samsung is driven by a vision that, these days, becomes increasingly relevant: “Technology with Purpose”. In other words, we work to improve people’s lives while breaking barriers through technology. In this way, we work daily to be more than a technology brand, and it translates into the strength of the community that accompanies us.

And since Lisboa Fashion Week is part of that same community: if you only had three words to describe your relationship with ModaLisboa, what would they be?
The close relationship and connection between Samsung and Lisboa Fashion Week is worth much more than three words, but it can be summed up in vision, future and innovation.