New Galaxy S III Commercials Show That The iPhone Can't Do Everything
Samsung released a new batch of commercials this weekend for its Galaxy S III flagship Android phone. — The ads don't waste time bashing the iPhone. Instead, they focus on what the Galaxy S III can do with some (funny) real-world examples.
Context & Ripple Effects
Samsung had already made Apple’s customer base the target of its fanboy-focused commercials, and coverage in December 2011 characterized that campaign as snarky toward the iPhone. The Galaxy S III spots retain the direct competitive frame but put the product’s own use cases at the center.
That matters because Android had reached 400 million activations while the iPhone remained the most popular smartphone in several markets. Samsung is using flagship advertising to turn platform-scale competition into a model-by-model consumer comparison.
First-order effects
- Samsung gives Galaxy S III shoppers a capabilities-based reason to compare the handset directly with the iPhone, rather than relying solely on anti-Apple humor.
- Apple’s iPhone becomes the explicit benchmark for Samsung’s flagship messaging, keeping the two brands paired in consumers’ purchase consideration.
Second-order effects
- Other Android handset makers face a higher bar: Samsung’s broad campaign competes for attention by tying Android’s platform advantages to a single flagship model.
- Carrier and retail sales pitches gain a simpler comparison frame, emphasizing features that distinguish the Galaxy S III from the iPhone rather than Android as a collective category.
Third-order effects
- If Samsung sustains the shift from snarky iPhone advertising to feature-led comparisons, flagship smartphone marketing will increasingly compete on visible use cases rather than platform loyalty alone.
The trend: Smartphone competition is moving from broad Apple-versus-Android positioning toward flagship-by-flagship campaigns built around demonstrable product differences.