Positioning
Galaxy Note 7 recall
Battery fires force a global recall; the brand rebuilds trust with an 8-point safety check.
Samsung
Technology
A trading house that turned itself into a quality brand by burning its own phones.
- Owner
- Samsung Group; Samsung Electronics listed in Seoul
- Leaders
- Co-CEOs Jun Young-hyun and Roh Tae-moon
- Known for
- Galaxy phones, TVs, memory chips
The Brand in Brief
Samsung started as a grocery trading company and made its first electronics in 1969 as a cheap follower. The brand turned in 1993, when chairman Lee Kun-hee told managers to “change everything except your wife and kids” and made quality the brand. The Galaxy line, launched in 2010, gave Samsung a product name strong enough to take on the iPhone. The Samsung name is shared across the group, from shipbuilding to insurance, which makes it one of the widest brand umbrellas in the world.
Recent Brand Moves
- 2025Roh Tae-moon becomes co-CEO
The head of Galaxy now co-leads the company. Watching for brand effect.
- 2024Galaxy AI
AI features branded inside the Galaxy name.
- 2019Galaxy Fold
Samsung claims a new category before Apple.
- 2016Galaxy Note 7 recall
Battery fires force a global recall; the brand rebuilds trust with an 8-point safety check.
Where it ranks · BTC Observatory · Sep 2026
Each list is ranked on its own; positions in different lists are not comparable.
Turning points
The Decisions that Made the Brand
Campaign
“The Next Big Thing Is Already Here”
Samsung mocks iPhone queues and claims the challenger role.
2010Sub-brand
Galaxy S launches
A product brand strong enough to stand next to iPhone.
Positioning
The phone bonfire
About 150,000 faulty phones are burned in front of staff. Quality becomes a story.
Positioning
The Frankfurt Declaration
Lee Kun-hee resets the brand around quality: “change everything except your wife and kids”.
Timeline
Every Brand Decision
Galaxy era2010 to now
New Management1993 to 2010
Electronics follower1969 to 1993
Trading house1938 to 1969
2025
Roh Tae-moon becomes co-CEO
The head of Galaxy now co-leads the company. Watching for brand effect.
2024
Galaxy AI
AI features branded inside the Galaxy name.
2019
Galaxy Fold
Samsung claims a new category before Apple.
2016
Galaxy Note 7 recall
Battery fires force a global recall; the brand rebuilds trust with an 8-point safety check.
2011
“The Next Big Thing Is Already Here”
Samsung mocks iPhone queues and claims the challenger role.
2010
Galaxy S launches
A product brand strong enough to stand next to iPhone.
1999
DigitAll: Everyone’s invited
A single global campaign repositions Samsung as a digital brand.
1995
The phone bonfire
About 150,000 faulty phones are burned in front of staff. Quality becomes a story.
1993
The blue ellipse logo
One global mark replaces the old three-star logos.
1993
The Frankfurt Declaration
Lee Kun-hee resets the brand around quality: “change everything except your wife and kids”.
1969
Samsung Electronics is founded
Starts as a low-cost maker of TVs and appliances, a follower brand.
1938
Samsung Sanghoe opens in Daegu
A trading business named to be “big, numerous and powerful” like three stars.
Galaxy era2010 to now · 6 moments
A product brand takes on Apple worldwide.
- 2025Roh Tae-moon becomes co-CEO
The head of Galaxy now co-leads the company. Watching for brand effect. - 2024Galaxy AI
AI features branded inside the Galaxy name. - 2019Galaxy Fold
Samsung claims a new category before Apple. - 2016Galaxy Note 7 recall
Battery fires force a global recall; the brand rebuilds trust with an 8-point safety check. - 2011“The Next Big Thing Is Already Here”
Samsung mocks iPhone queues and claims the challenger role. - 2010Galaxy S launches
A product brand strong enough to stand next to iPhone.
New Management1993 to 2010 · 4 moments
Quality first, a global brand built on design.
- 1999DigitAll: Everyone’s invited
A single global campaign repositions Samsung as a digital brand. - 1995The phone bonfire
About 150,000 faulty phones are burned in front of staff. Quality becomes a story. - 1993The blue ellipse logo
One global mark replaces the old three-star logos. - 1993The Frankfurt Declaration
Lee Kun-hee resets the brand around quality: “change everything except your wife and kids”.
Electronics follower1969 to 1993 · 1 moment
Cheap appliances for export.
- 1969Samsung Electronics is founded
Starts as a low-cost maker of TVs and appliances, a follower brand.
Trading house1938 to 1969 · 1 moment
Groceries, sugar, textiles.
- 1938Samsung Sanghoe opens in Daegu
A trading business named to be “big, numerous and powerful” like three stars.
Moves like this
The Same Decision, Other Brands
Name & identity
How It Got Its Name and Its Look
The Name
“Samsung” means “three stars” in Korean. The founder Lee Byung-chul said he wanted the company to be big, numerous and powerful, and to last like the stars.
What the Name DidThe name carried no product meaning, which let the group stretch it from sugar to ships to semiconductors.
Logo
1969Three-star era marks- 1993Blue ellipse with the wordmark
- 2015Wordmark used alone, current
Colour
- NowSamsung Blue on white
- 1993Blue ellipse adopted worldwide
Words & Type
Galaxy AI is here.
2024Do what you can’t.
2017The Next Big Thing Is Already Here.
2011DigitAll: Everyone’s invited.
1999
- Samsung Sharp Sans for the wordmark and products2015
- SamsungOne, the corporate type family2016
Ownership & architecture
Who Owns It, and How Its Brands Fit Together
Owned bySamsung Electronics
ThroughSamsung Group (family-led, cross-shareholdings)
ThroughListed on the Korea Exchange
SamsungMaster brand with sub-brandsBrands it owns
- Harmanbought 2017
- SmartThingsbought 2014
Run in the region by
- GulfSamsung Gulf Electronics, a regional subsidiary based in Dubai
Products
- Galaxy
- Neo QLED
- Bespoke
- Odyssey
Services
- Samsung Pay
- SmartThings
Retired names
- Anycall
How the names are built · Master brand with sub-brands
2010 onwardGalaxy carries all phones, tablets and watches
1990s to 2000sAnycall phones in Korea, Samsung abroad
The Samsung name is shared by separate group companies: Samsung C&T, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Biologics and others.
Leadership
Who Leads It, and Who Shaped It
LJ
Lee Jae-yongExecutive Chairman
JY
Jun Young-hyunVice Chairman and co-CEO, chips
RT
Roh Tae-moonPresident and co-CEO, devices
Chief Executives
2025 to now
Jun Young-hyun and Roh Tae-moonChips and devices led side by side
2022 to now
Lee Jae-yong, chairmanThird-generation leader
1987 to 2020
Lee Kun-hee, chairmanTurned a follower into a quality brand
1938 to 1987
Lee Byung-chul, founderBuilt the group from a trading house
Brand Builders
LK
Lee Kun-heeChairman, 1987 to 2020
Made quality the brand with the Frankfurt Declaration.
EK
Eric KimHead of global marketing, 1999 to 2004
Ran DigitAll, Samsung’s first single global campaign.
Campaigns
The Work that Carried the Brand
Did you know?
Less Known Facts
Founding1938
Samsung’s first business sold dried fish, vegetables and noodles.
Quality1995
In 1995 the chairman had about 150,000 faulty phones burned in front of workers.
Naming2000
Samsung kept a separate phone brand in Korea, Anycall, for years before Galaxy.
Brand family2010
The group’s builder, Samsung C&T, was among the contractors on the Burj Khalifa.
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Compiled by the BrandTheChange editors from company records, filings, archives and press. Suggest a correction · Image credits