In New Ad Campaign, Samsung Tries to Win on the Merits
For many, the iPhone 5 is the talk of the weekend — and that includes Samsung. — The Korean phone maker will tomorrow start running a print ad campaign in national and regional papers that compares the features of its Galaxy S III with those of Apple's iPhone 5.
Context & Ripple Effects
Samsung has been running at Apple with humor for the better part of a year — first the commercial aimed squarely at Apple fanboys in November 2011, then the snarky TV spots that Fortune noted had 'harshed the iPhone's vibe' that December. What changes with this campaign is the register: instead of mocking buyers, Samsung is buying national and regional print space to run a feature-by-feature Galaxy S III versus iPhone 5 comparison.
The timing is the point. Apple announced the iPhone 5 on September 12, and the ads break the day before the phone reaches the public conversation at full volume — Samsung is trying to define the comparison while attention peaks. That eight outlets from AppleInsider to MobileSyrup picked up the story within a day says the tactic itself, not just the ad copy, is what the press is covering.
First-order effects
- Samsung inserts its already-shipping Galaxy S III into iPhone 5 launch-weekend coverage, competing for the same news cycle Apple's announcement would otherwise dominate.
- Apple's new phone gets defined by a rival's spec sheet — LTE support, screen size, and other comparison points — before Apple's own review cycle sets the frame.
Second-order effects
- Carriers and retailers gain ready-made comparison collateral to sell the Galaxy S III against iPhone 5 preorders, sharpening the pitch at the exact moment upgrade decisions are made.
- Apple is forced to choose between ignoring the ads and engaging a competitor on feature comparisons, either of which hands Samsung a role in the launch narrative.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Apple product launches harden into an industry-wide marketing calendar in which rivals budget counter-campaigns against each keynote, turning Apple's biggest moments into shared ones.
- Smartphone advertising shifts from brand aspiration toward verifiable feature claims — a comparison format that invites scrutiny of every claim on both sides and raises the stakes for any spec that does not hold up.
The trend: Samsung is converting Apple's launch calendar into its own marketing calendar, escalating from TV mockery to feature-by-feature comparison ads timed to each iPhone release.