Samsung Wants You to Break Up with Apple
It’s no secret that Apple has dominated the smartphone industry over the last decade, right? Wrong! Well…you’re not wrong, but things aren’t exactly as they seem. Which brand had the first smartphone with edge-to-edge display? Samsung. The first waterproof smartphone? Samsung, again. And do you know which brand produced the first smartphone with OLED display? Yep, you guessed it…that’d be Samsung! Despite its cult-like following and perpetually increasing revenues, Apple finishes second behind Samsung in global market share (in shipments). In 2017 alone, the South Korean company’s “global smartphone shipments amounted to 317.3 million units.” Despite Samsung’s position as the global leading smartphone manufacturer, Apple is still perceived to be the industry’s technological leader — at least in the minds of many consumers. To refute this misconception, Samsung has deployed a series of cheeky campaigns that aim to position the brand as “first movers” in the smartphone industry.
To bridge the chasm between perception and reality, Samsung wisely uses the strategy of explaining the why (product benefits) before the how (technological specifications), in order to convey to consumers why they should even care about their products in the first place. In a TV spot preceding the release of Samsung’s Galaxy S8, we witness a “flightless bird soar to new heights with some tech motivation.” The ad introduces us to Samsung’s revolutionary VR technology, but the purpose of the spot is to have consumers reimagine the realm of possibilities with the campaign tagline “#DoWhatYouCant”. As we witness the ostrich learn to fly, the message, “We make what can’t be made, so you can do what can’t be done,” appears across the screen.
Following this spot, Samsung released a video advertisement featuring a “lengthy unboxing” of the brand’s S8 and S8+ product offerings, in which they go into great detail regarding technical specs and product features. Samsung is out to show consumers that they are actually the leaders in innovation as it pertains to all the features that smartphone owners are clamoring for.
Despite its efforts, Samsung was still eclipsed by Apple for Q4 ’17 market share. This fact is largely attributable to Apple’s recent launch of the iPhone 8, 8+, and X, as Samsung’s primary competitor had various devices on the market at several different price points. Nearly two-thirds of people around the world already own a mobile phone; however, with the number of smartphone users expected to eclipse the 5 billion mark by 2019, Samsung must increase its marketing spend in order to capitalize on Apple’s glacial pace of technological advancements.
At the end of 2016, Apple’s digital ad spend dwarfed that of Samsung’s. In fact, Apple outspent its main competitor by 179%. As global smartphone ownership increases, so does Apple and Samsung’s opportunity to grow their global market share. With the “Chinese smartphone industry…set to dominate the [global] market in the coming years,” the fight for U.S. market share will undoubtedly intensify. Samsung is clearly ready for a fight, as indicated by their taking direct jabs at Apple in their recent “Growing Up” ad. They launched the spot on the eve of Apple’s iPhone X release, which was absolutely brilliant in our opinion.
Who do we spend the most time with? It’s not our coworkers, partners, or our family; depressingly, it’s probably our smartphones. One study of smartphone owners suggests that they average 5 hours daily on their devices. Samsung highlights that connection with this ad that contextualizes its phone as a relationship. Erik’s sweet romance with Lauren is contrasted with the frustrations of his connections to Apple and its iterations of the iPhone. Chyvonne Scott sings, “I’m Moving On,” positioning Erik’s switch to Samsung as a breakup, but it’s not one that he’s upset about. Instead, he’s happy with his someone (something) new. The bonus is that he’s now even more closely aligned with Lauren, strengthening that relationship through their shared experience (and Samsung phone).
People yearn to have a sense of belonging, and in some circles, it’s weird to be that person without an iPhone, whose texts show up as incriminating green bubbles in iMessages. But with its recent campaigns, Samsung convinces consumers that waiting in line for the same iPhone that everyone else has isn’t doing them any favors. They may have the same phone as their friends and everyone else in line on launch day, but they don’t have a phone that has the functionality of Samsung’s. The brand is arguing that they’re missing out on better features in favor of conforming and sticking with the familiar.
A healthy bit of brand banter is great, especially if executed intelligently. With this campaign, Samsung is directly attacking the widely held idea that Apple is the technology leader — and that the iPhone is the product that millennials should be devoted to. They’re putting their product head to head against the iPhone and demonstrating that if you want to be have the coolest smartphone with the best features, you should reconsider your loyalty to Apple. Instead, it’s Samsung that has led the industry with more storage, waterproof phones, wireless charging, and more.
With their recent efforts, Samsung shows that brands can be playful and edgy when calling out competitors, without declaring all-out war. There is room to find humor and flexibility in poking a competitor enough to get noticed, but not too hard as to wake the proverbial bear. Taking jabs at direct competitors is certainly not a new phenomenon, and it can work really well when trying to differentiate one’s self from competition. As an agency, we are huge fans of toeing the line where playfulness and edginess meet. We believe that as long as brands steer clear of any potential legal repercussions, there’s nothing wrong with creating an amusing campaign that highlights a competitor’s shortcomings in a clever and fun way.
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