Amsterdam AI Scale-up Vibeday Powers Samsung’s Global Winter Olympics Campaign
Amsterdam, Friday 20 February 2026
Founded just eight months ago, Amsterdam scale-up Vibeday now powers Samsung’s global Olympic campaign, utilising generative AI to transform Instagram DMs into personalised fan experiences at scale.
Generative AI Meets Global Sports Marketing
The collaboration, which officially launched on 19 February 2026, marks a pivotal moment for the integration of Dutch AI solutions into the global advertising ecosystem [2]. Samsung, a worldwide partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, has deployed Vibeday’s technology to facilitate its ‘Connect Fans to Glory’ campaign [2]. Unlike traditional social media strategies that prioritise passive reach, this infrastructure leverages the existing Instagram Direct Messaging (DM) interface to automate complex interactions [1]. When fans send messages of support to Olympic short track skater Suzanne Schulting, Vibeday’s AI analyses and filters the content before automatically generating personalised visual stories featuring the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 [1][2]. This approach eliminates the friction of downloading separate applications, embedding the experience directly where the consumer activity already exists [1].
Automating Authenticity at Scale
The technical architecture addresses a longstanding bottleneck in digital marketing: the inability to scale personal interaction manually. Maurice Stam, co-founder of Vibeday and a former engineer at the fintech giant Adyen, argues that marketing is on the cusp of structural change driven by generative AI [1]. By automating the dialogue, brands can now engage with hundreds of thousands of consumers individually without the requisite human labour [1]. This capability transforms the role of the fan from a spectator to an active participant, a shift validated by the immediate adoption of the technology by high-profile figures such as kickboxer Rico Verhoeven [1].
Rapid Commercial Validation
Vibeday’s trajectory illustrates the aggressive pace at which the European digital economy is evolving. Established only eight months ago by Stam and serial entrepreneur Michael Tesselaar, the Amsterdam-based firm has already operationalised campaigns for major domestic players including Wehkamp, Easytoys, Flitsmeister, and SaniSale [1]. The scalability of their proprietary algorithms was stress-tested prior to the Olympics during a three-week activation for the beverage brand STËLZ [1]. That campaign yielded significant engagement metrics, generating 44 million views and over 62,000 unique submissions [1]. Such performance data likely contributed to their selection for a global stage so early in their corporate lifecycle.
Strategic Timing and Future Outlook
The deployment of this technology coincides with critical sporting events, creating a high-stakes environment for real-time digital performance. With Suzanne Schulting scheduled to compete in the 1,500-metre short track event on 21 February 2026 in Milan, the system is positioned to handle peak traffic during the competition [2]. Beyond the immediate scope of the Winter Olympics, Vibeday’s founders posit that Instagram DM will mature into a fully-fledged marketing channel, moving beyond simple broadcasting to facilitate two-way automated commerce and communication [1]. This partnership serves as a proof-of-concept for that transition, demonstrating that Dutch SaaS (Software as a Service) innovations can rapidly meet the requirements of multinational conglomerates like Samsung [1][2].