Apple, Samsung marketing hype viewed as 'moving in opposite directions'
As Apple's product unveilings have moved to increasingly smaller venues, rival Samsung is set to unveil its flagship Galaxy S IV at a heavily hyped event in New York City's Radio City Music Hall.
The contrast of styles led Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Apple 2.0 to observe that Samsung's marketing has made Apple look "tame." As part of Samsung's hype, the company sent a "flash mob" of dancers into Times Square, wearing jackets with the number "4" on the back and holding signs that advertise tonight's unveiling of Samsung's next flagship handset.
"It's almost as if the two companies ? engaged in a global battle for command of the $400 billion mobile device industry ? are moving in opposite directions," Elmer-Dewitt said. "Apple in its marketing and advertising has become quieter and more modest, hoping its products and services will speak for themselves. Samsung, meanwhile, is going bigger and brasher, hiring the big halls and the dancers and mocking Apple ??and itself ??in TV ads loaded with attitude."
When Apple was considered by the public to be an underdog, it would gain recognition and garner praise for commercials that would call out the competition. The company's long running and award winning "Get a Mac" ads, which portrayed Windows as being susceptible to viruses, system crashes and other serious problems, were ended in 2009.
Since then, Apple grew so much that its market cap passed ExxonMobil and made it the world's largest company. And while Samsung sells more overall phones than Apple, the iPhone dominates with a commanding 72 percent of overall industry profits.
Though it's no longer an underdog, Apple did show signs of fighting back this week against Samsung's hype. In a rare interview, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller disparaged Android as an inferior product to Apple's iOS mobile platform, citing fragmentation and revealing that four times as many iPhone users switched to iOS from Android than left Android for iOS.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S IV at its "Global Unpacked" event set to take place in New York at 7 p.m. this evening. AppleInsider will have full, live coverage.
The contrast of styles led Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Apple 2.0 to observe that Samsung's marketing has made Apple look "tame." As part of Samsung's hype, the company sent a "flash mob" of dancers into Times Square, wearing jackets with the number "4" on the back and holding signs that advertise tonight's unveiling of Samsung's next flagship handset.
"It's almost as if the two companies ? engaged in a global battle for command of the $400 billion mobile device industry ? are moving in opposite directions," Elmer-Dewitt said. "Apple in its marketing and advertising has become quieter and more modest, hoping its products and services will speak for themselves. Samsung, meanwhile, is going bigger and brasher, hiring the big halls and the dancers and mocking Apple ??and itself ??in TV ads loaded with attitude."
When Apple was considered by the public to be an underdog, it would gain recognition and garner praise for commercials that would call out the competition. The company's long running and award winning "Get a Mac" ads, which portrayed Windows as being susceptible to viruses, system crashes and other serious problems, were ended in 2009.
Since then, Apple grew so much that its market cap passed ExxonMobil and made it the world's largest company. And while Samsung sells more overall phones than Apple, the iPhone dominates with a commanding 72 percent of overall industry profits.
Though it's no longer an underdog, Apple did show signs of fighting back this week against Samsung's hype. In a rare interview, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller disparaged Android as an inferior product to Apple's iOS mobile platform, citing fragmentation and revealing that four times as many iPhone users switched to iOS from Android than left Android for iOS.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S IV at its "Global Unpacked" event set to take place in New York at 7 p.m. this evening. AppleInsider will have full, live coverage.
Comments
Can't copy good taste and talent.
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Can't wait to meet.. um.. a Samsung fanboy. There must be one considering the hype. But whose hype? WSJ?
Exactly. As someone else commented Scamsung can copy much that Apple do but not their class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClemyNX
The music and dancers are nice, but this has nothing to do with phones. It's just glitter and gloss.
That glitter and gloss has made Samsung a lot of money and has helped to make it a top competitor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRulez
Opposite directions indeed: Samsung is investing in marketing, while Apple is sitting in a pile of cash and still chooses to let their main competitor out-market them by many tens of millions of dollars, and as the article notes, "Apple's product unveilings have moved to increasingly smaller venues".
I don't think this is a bad thing. I know plenty of people who are sick of seeing Samsung commercials on TV 24/7 and being bombarded with Galaxy posters every time they go to the mall.
Unfortunately in our society, glitter and gloss wins over common sense and better products. Many times.
Still, I prefer Apple's advertising. Simple, product based, gets the message across with class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRulez
Opposite directions indeed: Samsung is investing in marketing, while Apple is sitting in a pile of cash and still chooses to let their main competitor out-market them by many tens of millions of dollars, and as the article notes, "Apple's product unveilings have moved to increasingly smaller venues".
It's odd that you think a measure of effective marketing is how much you spend on it.
Microsoft has spent a billion on Windows8/Surface advertising, but doesn't appear to have made that much of an impact.
And even though Samsung spent more in marketing, they were still outsold by the iPhone5 AND the older iPhone4 last quarter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by island hermit
That glitter and gloss has made Samsung a lot of money and has helped to make it a top competitor.
Eventually people will tire of the razzle dazzle and will be looking for someone new to cheer on. People like to support the underdog (real or perceived). Samsung isn't the underdog anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by allenbf
Unfortunately in our society, glitter and gloss wins over common sense and better products. Many times.
Still, I prefer Apple's advertising. Simple, product based, gets the message across with class.
Sad thing is the HTC One might be as good as the S4 (no doubt will have a better design) but after today it will be mostly forgotten. Samsung will carpet bomb anything and everything with advertising to which HTC will not be able to compete.
Apple doesn't resort to generating hype - they get plenty for free. How many times has Apple released teaser images or clues about upcoming devices? They don't - the tech blogs take care of it for them. For free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rayz
It's odd that you think a measure of effective marketing is how much you spend on it.
Microsoft has spent a billion on Windows8/Surface advertising, but doesn't appear to have made that much of an impact.
And even though Samsung spent more in marketing, they were still outsold by the iPhone5 AND the older iPhone4 last quarter.
They outsold a single handset, Samsung sold far more phones than Apple did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Eventually people will tire of the razzle dazzle and will be looking for someone new to cheer on. People like to support the underdog (real or perceived). Samsung isn't the underdog anymore.
Hmmm... Apple used to be the underdog. I guess people have already started looking for someone new to cheer on.
Oh... that would be Samsung.
[According to your logic, Blackberry and Nokia still have a chance... Apple is definitely doomed.]
This is a perfect example of why Apple is #1 in brand popularity with Samsung way behind. Apple's philosophy is when you do something big, you should do it magnificently! Samsung's mime jazz dancers with a cardboard box are just like their phones %u2013 copies, uninspiring, no soul, forgettable, forgotten.
Ummmm... does anyone proof anything anymore? Nevermind. I know the answer. :P
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