The now-routine shaming of Apple fanboys in Samsung ads may become passé with the company celebrating the Galaxy S4 and future devices, rather than talking down its bitter rival, according to one expert. Samsung’s Next Big Thing commercials have amused Android loyalists and enraged members of Team Apple, but it’s time for the Korean company to switch tact when the Galaxy S4 launches on March 14, a mobile marketing expert tells T3. The infamous commercial spots seemed to succeed in making the iPhone seem uncool and lagging behind Samsung in terms of top-line features, while depicting Apple fans as image-conscious trend-followers.
James Hilton mobile marketing expert and Global CEO of M&C Saatchi Performance thinks that the success of the S3 has given Samsung the opportunity to confidently push the merits of its the Galaxy S4, rather than focus on its relationship to the iPhone.
He told T3: “I don’t think they need to be that crude (with the advertisements). I suspect they’ll take a more confident approach.
“Think about the now-infamous S3 campaign that hinged on the notion that iPhone owners had a ‘sheep’ mentality: Samsung cleverly made its messaging about what the S3 wasn’t, and it certainly wasn’t an iPhone wannabe. The reviews, word of mouth and media coverage then told us what the S3 was.
“In shifting the argument away from me-too features and specs, Samsung created room for it to develop its brand, and I definitely think that we’ll see more of this approach around the S4 launch.”
The company has already shown signs that it’s done with the mockery following the recent Super Bowl commercial starring Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, although there were definitely sly digs at Apple in the subtext.
