We have been discussing the whole Samsung vs. Apple affair for a while now, and more recently, following the huge fine levied against Samsung by a US court, we are returning to the more public face of their"war of two worlds" via some hugely entertaining media advertising.
One cannot accuse the South Koreans of lacking a sense of humor, that's for sure! I love this ad, not least because it raises an interesting point that I have raised before and that reflects how far we have come in technological terms generally, today in 2012. That is that teenagers today have grown up around the iPhone if not for any other reason than the fact that their (formerly?) cool Mom or Dad has one! That is not necessarily a good thing, for most teenagers.
They kids of today were not in awe when the first iPhone ads appeared and the units began appearing in stores, primarily because they were too busy pushing toy trains around the back garden or dressing up their dolls. So they grew up around such items as an iPhone, and didn't automatically see it as a "O-M-G! Wow!" thing. Smartphones are just part of their lives like flatscreen TVs were for their parents, or color TV was for their grandparents. It's totally normal.
Hence, the iPhone brand, per se, is not of any enormous significance to anyone between let's say, early teens to early twenties. If kids today have not evolved beyond the phenotype of kids since time immemorial, then it is probably true to argue that they might hate the idea of having the same phone as their Mom! Apple and iPhone are totally establishment old guard brands by now, and they do not truly (or totally) represent the demographic that dictates change. Not that "hope and change" kind of change, but trend changes!
While there are millions of dyed-in-the-wool iPhone fanatics who were there since day one (myself included, I might add), there are also millions of latecomers to the party, who through sheer peer pressure or a need for image updating, finally gave in and bought themselves the phone that their kids wanted for Christmas. The previously ubiquitous Blackberry-4-Business models began to be exchanged for iPhones and suddenly Mom and Dad looked cool.
Of course, it was primarily image over content because the "social media" aspects of the phones were beyond the 40+ gang's skill set: none of them were on Facebook, they didn't use LinkedIn, most had never heard of Twitter and all of them didn't know what an "app" was supposed to be. As for texting, they thought that was something that editors did, and when they did manage to fire one off, it was so rife with spelling errors and sloppy typing, it was more reminiscent of something an eight-year-old could put to shame.
That can seen even today among the 40+ set; what's the point of buying something as exotic as an iPhone just to make local calls? It is entirely the same as buying a top-of-the-line supercomputer at home on which to primarily send/receive email on, if you actually ever use email productively, at least! It's a huge waste of the technology's capacity, all in many cases, just to project something (usually false) about their tech and social media savviness.
Naturally, many caught up, but how irritating that just as they had suddenly began to feel truly "hip", things had progressed to the point where there was a new model almost twice in certain 12-month periods, rendering them "old school" so quickly? Further, as is hilariously portrayed in this ad, the new iPhone is today primarily made for the parents, while the kids have moved on to sexier, hipper, cheaper yet more functional brands/models such as the glamorous Samsung Galaxy S series.
The war of words between the two worlds might only be just beginning, and I can't wait to see what's coming next. But for a little light relief and some real digs at how hip it is (i.e. isn't!) to be desperately waiting for the new iPhone 5 today, then I think this hits the target very nicely, and Apple can sit on their billion dollar award atop their even bigger pile of cash, and just grin and bear it!
When it comes to a mockingly serious sense of humor, the Koreans are leading the charge and slamming Apple, based on what clearly is a superior superphone: the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Let the old fuddy-duddies who used to cling to Blackberries as tightly as their wallets now cling to their apples, while the new breed eats away at the critical and financially expanding youth segment via the SII, the current SIII, and the March 2013 appearance of the new SIV. Samsung Galaxy SIV? Already?! Now that is something to get excited about! - Kevin Mc
Of course, it was primarily image over content because the "social media" aspects of the phones were beyond the 40+ gang's skill set: none of them were on Facebook, they didn't use LinkedIn, most had never heard of Twitter and all of them didn't know what an "app" was supposed to be. As for texting, they thought that was something that editors did, and when they did manage to fire one off, it was so rife with spelling errors and sloppy typing, it was more reminiscent of something an eight-year-old could put to shame.
That can seen even today among the 40+ set; what's the point of buying something as exotic as an iPhone just to make local calls? It is entirely the same as buying a top-of-the-line supercomputer at home on which to primarily send/receive email on, if you actually ever use email productively, at least! It's a huge waste of the technology's capacity, all in many cases, just to project something (usually false) about their tech and social media savviness.
Naturally, many caught up, but how irritating that just as they had suddenly began to feel truly "hip", things had progressed to the point where there was a new model almost twice in certain 12-month periods, rendering them "old school" so quickly? Further, as is hilariously portrayed in this ad, the new iPhone is today primarily made for the parents, while the kids have moved on to sexier, hipper, cheaper yet more functional brands/models such as the glamorous Samsung Galaxy S series.
The war of words between the two worlds might only be just beginning, and I can't wait to see what's coming next. But for a little light relief and some real digs at how hip it is (i.e. isn't!) to be desperately waiting for the new iPhone 5 today, then I think this hits the target very nicely, and Apple can sit on their billion dollar award atop their even bigger pile of cash, and just grin and bear it!
When it comes to a mockingly serious sense of humor, the Koreans are leading the charge and slamming Apple, based on what clearly is a superior superphone: the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Let the old fuddy-duddies who used to cling to Blackberries as tightly as their wallets now cling to their apples, while the new breed eats away at the critical and financially expanding youth segment via the SII, the current SIII, and the March 2013 appearance of the new SIV. Samsung Galaxy SIV? Already?! Now that is something to get excited about! - Kevin Mc
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