A new Samsung Galaxy S4 ad retreads a familiar Samsung Electronics America advertising theme: That only your goofy parents and other assorted “old people” own Apple iPhones.
The 90-second ad, which takes place at a graduation pool party, highlights features of the new Samsung device, for example, taking considerable pains to slather young people’s fingers in rib sauce and sunblock in order to show off Samsung’s gimmicky new Air Gesture feature.
Luckily for Samsung, nobody drops their cheap, plastic phone on the concrete pool deck. The ad also inexplicably trumpets how a Galaxy S4 can act as a remote control for a TV set, something we’ve been doing with our iPhones and iPads for years:
MacDailyNews Take: It remains to be seen how long Samsung will continue trying to peg Apple iPhone as the phone for older people.
Apple likely hopes that Samsung continues it forever, as the U.S. population – and many populations around the world – age considerably.
Limiting your target market in the US to 30.6 million adults under 25, while trumpeting iPhone as the smartphone for those over 25, or some 204 million people, just doesn’t seem like a very sound strategy. Especially since the older demographics have far more disposable income. Samsung’s strategy is fatally flawed on many levels, from basic math on up.
The fact is that, regardless of these type of ads, Apple’s iPhone continues to top U.S. teens’ buying preference surveys by a wide margin. Samsung’s marketing strategy of pitching to 30 million while denigrating and alienating over 200 million isn’t bearing any fruit: comScore: Apple outgrew both Samsung and Google’s Android in U.S. smartphone market share – May 3, 2013.
More, please, Samsung.
Related articles:
comScore: Apple outgrew both Samsung and Google’s Android in U.S. smartphone market share – May 3, 2013
Over half of Samsung Galaxy S4′s advertised 16GB storage capacity eaten up by Android and Samsung bloatware – May 1, 2013
Samsung’s cheap, plastic Galaxy S4 significantly more breakable Apple’s iPhone 5 – April 29, 2013
Yankee Group: Apple continues to eat Samsung’s lunch; customer loyalty will drive iPhone ownership past Android’s peak – April 26, 2013
World’s best-selling smartphone: Apple iPhone 5; iPhone 4S #2, third place Samsung Galaxy 3 brings up rear – February 20, 2013
I like the Nokia commercials better where they make fun of Samsung vs Apple and show them fighting. Apparently only pacifist cater-waiters use the Nokia Lumia 920/
To me, that Nokia commercial is doing the same thing Samsung is doing. Hey, pick me instead of the other 2. The only phone maker in the whole bunch is APPLE who is not comparing themselves to anyone. They just state the features and move on. They don’t need to poke fun of people because apple knows that when your making fun of competition, its because your not in first place.
To paraphrase an old Chinese saying: Opinions are like assholes, and you sir are an asshole. And, one with no sense of humor.
Please tell me *what* about his comment makes him an asshole? You seem to be one for stooping to the level of calling names and judging people without actually contributing anything to the conversation. Maybe you’re starting in a mirror… that would explain your comment.
Well, judging by your “starting in a mirror” statement I’d say you’re semi-literate. Or are you going to blame it on autocorrect or the undersized keyboard on your phone?
Undoubtedly the negative votes are by those same ones who don’t proofread before sending.
Undoubtedly the negative votes on your posts are from a considerable number of people who don’t like them. Dare I say you should actually pay attention to that and actually let it affect your behavior. (One can always dream.)
Obviously I’ve become the object of your dreams. My work here is done.
Hey Confuse-us – just fuck off. And dont come back, you nitwit.
Don’t lie to yourself. The negative votes are from people who believe that *you* are the asshole, “Confucius.”
“Obviously I’ve become the object of your dreams.”
My dream for you — that you grow up; that you realize it’s not a great attainment in life to get so many negative votes; that you stop being such a poisonous little loser — or, alternatively, that you talk to some 300lb biker the way you talk to people on this site and have him punch your teeth in.
@Seamus, I vote for him to become a hood ornament on said 300 lb biker’s Harley.
Fuck you
Douche
No. The literate also down vote you since your original comment was pretty fucking stupid.
Hey your my object on my dream.
Im dreaming that you kill yourself. Hope my dream come true.
I don’t get your name.Do you even know what Confucius teachings are?
Oh Confused sh*t-
Another Shatscum troll out to support his fscktard employer’s new (s)ad campaign. How much of that $12 Bil are they paying you to post this nonsensical bullshit?
Go ESAD and please stop littering our board with your garbage.
Yeah Confucius, I don’t think you even read what I typed…because your comment really doesn’t make sense with what I said. It was indeed an opinion, but I don’t think an opinion so disturbing as to denote the asshole comment…and from what I can tell many agree on MDN. And with the no sense of humor? I didn’t know any of these commercials were trying to be funny. They’re just trying to have a ring match with their products. So, maybe you can better explain to me what your thinking.
@muddygun, I agree with you. Apple’s commercials are classy. Even the Mac vs. PC ads that *did* do a comparison to the competition were done with class and humour. They called out the well-known fact-based *experiences* of the competition, not just attacking the product because its the competition. Samsung is slime.
Plus, those Mac vs PC commercials pitted OS against OS, and did not denigrate the users. As MDM points out, Samsung seems intent on insulting the most lucrative demographic. A pretty stupid strategy on their part.
I agree. I actually felt insulted by that commercial. Are they saying I am old and stupid because I bought an iPhone? The ad turned me off to Samsung.
I agree 100%. People are intelligent enough to decide to choose iPhone whether they are young or old and they don’t buy on this make believe untruth commercials. I think Samsung insult people intelligence.
Everyone is missing it.
That ad is not bashing old people and targeting young people. That ad is squarely targeting the 204 million people MDN mention. That ad is saying to old people, if you want to look young and hip, don’t get an iPhone.
That ad is not targeted at young people or tech oriented old people. It’s targeted at average baby boomers who now find themselves facing the fact that getting old sucks, and it sucks in a big way because people find you irrelevant.
So these people will do whatever they can to try and stay young.
Millions of people in their 40s have been pushed out of the job market and have found that age discrimination is keeping them out of the job market.
They’re spending their retirement funds on cosmetic surgery, and anything and everything else they can do to look young.
Telling these people that Samsung makes you look young is brilliant strategy.
Sorry about that, but it’s true. This ad was created by someone who knows Americans.
how’s the cosmetic surgery workin’ out for you?
Heh. Take a whole lot more than cosmetic surgery for me!
lol, I’ll email you the phone number of my surgeon, Dr. Vinnie Boom-Batz.
I told him I wanted a second opinion, he said, “Okay, you’re ugly too.”
I disagree that the ad is not attempting to target young people – they clearly are trying to sell that ONLY old people have iPhones.
That is not mutually exclusive to your concept that a benefit is to convince old fucks like me that their phone is better for me.
IM,
“So these people will do whatever they can to try and stay young. ”
Most of my classes and experience in market advertising say that you have to be sure of your message before you spend millions looking stupid to your actual demographic.
Samsung sells to the young. Hopefully swapping phones ever year so samsang can sell more (market share is the do all be all of the “can’t figure out how to make money companies”. What they forget, as the article states, is that the older generation may want to look young but they have been there and beyond and do not buy into such shallow ads.
Samsung is not in this for the long term but for the quick buck. They have NO Customer SERVICE, just a bunch of people who put you off as long as they can and then hope they win the class action lawsuits (they lost one for using cheap caps in large screen TVs. They copy the successful and advertise gimmics to the tech nerd cause its easier than trying to figure out what we really want. Their management has no clue and does not care. Make it, sell it. NEXT product.
Last, samsung as a brand name is just a loss leader. If you like their phone, will you buy their computer???? Er do they make a computer??? NO its a Windows 8 computer??? right??
And a music service, er,,,, do they do that????
Aps?? NO.
Integration between computer, tablet, phone, mp3 player and stove, fridge, ship???? er…. stove?? fridge?? SHIP?????
Well, you get the idea. They want your money now. The rest does not matter.
I agree at least in part, and would add that if you sell to the younger gen, they will educate the older gen in what to buy and how to use it.
It’s a pity for samsung that iOS is easier and safer to use for the non computer savy.
They are trying to create a cultural perception that they are cooler, more hip and more individual. It’s working in Australia unfortunately.
Thoughtful post, good thinking.
I can tell you, as a fifty-year-old guy with my 50-year-old eyes, I simply need a larger screen if I’m really going to enjoy using my phone for viewing content. And I think I’m not the only older person who is feeling that way.
My guess is that at WWDC Apple will showcase ios 7, “the most beautiful ios yet,” and in the fall we’ll see a larger iPhone, “to show off that beautiful system.”
The resolution on the screen is still the same, text is still just as small as on the iPhone. Don’t kid yourself thinking the bigger screen is going to make it easier to use. There’s just going to be more on the screen that you can’t see.
Your comment makes no sense, you obviously have never had a biger phone than 3.5 inches. I work in a large company and some of my feelow workers have seen my samsung they own iphones. They cant get over how large i can make txt messages and change fonts! theres tiny iphone. small medium and very large. So now they all own galaxys because unlike you they can see the difference, what a stupid reply you made about this. THE TXT IS HUGE compared to the iphone FULL STOP. you are obviously blinded by the light!
Funny ad, S4 is a lil 2 big for my taste though.
The 90-second ad, which takes place at a graduation pool party, highlights features of the new Samsung device, for example, taking considerable pains to slather young people’s fingers in rib sauce and sunblock in order to show off Samsung’s gimmicky new Air Gesture feature.
http://hargatabletterbaru.net/harga-tablet-advan-t5a.html
Im betting you still have to push a power button on your device! My finger passes the top of my phone and the screen lights up. I dont have sunblock or rib sauce on my fingers either! its just way, no tons more convient to do this than to have to pick a device up! Seriously im sensing a seinfeld moment here. Just because you dont have this tech now and possibly never will, dont comment on how its a Gimmick! I get frustrated now when a phone cant do this. How scrambling for a power button and picking up a phone is easier than a finger air swipe is beyond me!
Limiting your target market in the US to 30.6 million adults under 25, while trumpeting iPhone as the smartphone for those over 25, or some 204 million people, just doesn’t seem like a very sound strategy. Especially since the older demographics have far more disposable income. Samsung’s strategy is fatally flawed on many levels, from basic math on up.
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Okay, but the ad at least tries to show people actually using the features of their phone.
I thought the hand wave motion, while clever because his sauce-covered fingers would be nasty on the phone, resembled the exact motion most people make when shooing away a fly.
BTW, Samsung, I control any brand of TV with my iPhone, not just Samsung TVs.
if your eating, or cooking, you should just finish and not have to worry about playing with your phone in the first place….
They will never get my money again. What low-life marketers they hire.
They will never get my money, period.
They still get your money through Apple buying their parts, but hopefully that will be over sooner rather than later, and an import ban on their rip-off products would be a nice addition.
+1000
Actually only old people with poor eyesight need the gs4 big fat screen.
Also love all that hands-free action and then you need to touch photos to send photos over… no iMessage, eh Samsung?
… who happens to be pushing 40 … is the one with the iPhone. Well … and her older brother. I’m the one with the glasses and I continue to use a dumb-phone. It does everything I expect my telephone to DO. It also would do more, if I asked – I don’t. So … is she young because she’s my daughter? Or old because she’s old enough to be a Mom?
Samsung just knows how to troll troll troll, like all those students paid by them to comment on stories.
Judging by the reviews it will be funny seeing those GS4 owners desperately “swatting flies” over their phones trying to get them to answer the call.
As we all know flies are attracted to shit.
Nothing exiting about it.
It’s coffee time .
always coffee time
Are these ads even working to convince Americans to buy Samsung rather than Apple?
Support your own – go APPLE!
With Age Comes Wisdom. Using Samsung’s logic, kids who don’t know better own a Samsung Galaxy S4, and when they grow up they’ll quit playing with toys. The problem with appealing to a youth market is eventually the market grows up and moves away from a brand they consider “not adult”. Ask McDonalds how their old Ronald McDonald “Get em’ while they’re young campaign” worked out.
http://readwrite.com/2012/10/08/sorry-samsung-iphone-is-not-your-mothers-smartphone
Do not click on that link from within MDN’s app unless you like from within MDN’s app unless you like from within MDN’s app unless you like from within MDN’s app unless you like from within MDN’s app unless you like….
Aren’t older people are more reasonable and have more knowledge about things? And younger generation are more obsessed with every new gadget that comes out and that they will forget in few weeks?
I think you meant “aren’t old people stubborn and unwilling to adapt? Don’t they no longer like anything new?”
Seriously, I dislike Samsung and android completely, but ageism is just pathetic.
Old people also buy windows and vote for politicians that loot the country and environment because they are short sighted and selfish.
The youth are the ones buying apple laptops over windows by 60% or more.
Lets knock off the ridiculous claims that Oder means wiser. Steve jobs’s biggest nemesis were those too old to change and too blind to care about expanding their potential. They were boring and practical, not embraces of smartphones, tablets, etc.
My clients over 40 don’t know how to use basic apps on their iPhones. In fact they are most prone to listening to idiot sales guys telling them to just buy an android.
I hate the Samsung ads. I hate the plucky cello music in the background, I hate the people, portrayed with smug indifference to anyone outside their age/technology group. I hate the faded color-retro style. It doesn’t matter what they’re selling. If this were an Apple commercial, I’d feel the same about it.
Remember the Unicorn Apocalypse ad? What the heck was that about? Phablets and poo-poo platters! This is supposed to sell phones? All I can say is that yesterday, while at Walmart I checked out the phone section and saw the Galaxy S4 tethered to the display, right next to the S3. They looked pathetic together, just sitting there. The iPhones were in a glass enclosed case on the other side, however there were none to see as they appeared to be sold out….hmmm.
The next big piece of crap.
Gotta wonder, what would all the smartphones look like, had Apple inc. never entered the smartphone arena.
Samsung would look like a GIANT blackberry clone.
Plastic toys are for CHILDREN.
Metal tools are for Adults.
BAM, Samsunk!
You’re right. That’s why the HTC one is the best phone on the market right now.
Nothing that runs Android can be the best at anything. Android is a poor copy of iOS, took over 3 years and tons of processing to become as fluid as day 1 iPhone was in 2007.
problem is you could never you the wave over the iPhone. I f you put it down to eat some savvy crook will scoop it up and sell it.
thats why theres find my phone….lol
Samsung has an insurmountable marketing problem just based on the appeal of the company name. They’re never going to convince the buying public that something called “Samsung” is hip and trendy. It may have worked for Sony, but it’s a shorter name and more linguistically neutral. “Samsung” is just plain awkward.
Sony though actually innovated and created new product categories. They earned their stripes. Sony lost its luster when they tried to become all things to all people and lost their product focus. They also made some strategic blunders in key markets where they lost their technological edge or bet on the wrong technology (e.g., focusing on LCoS rather LCD TVs, proliferating proprietary media formats that no other company adopt, etc).
1) running ads that make fun of a particular group (like older people is a mistake). You can target ads for young folks but don’t make fun of older folks.
when apple ran the first iPod music ads they did show silhouetted young people dancing but they didn’t make fun of older folks (“Eh only the hip young use iPods, old folks are too dumb… ” ). Imagine McDonalds ran ads “Old folks are too stupid to eat at McDonalds”.
But samsung seems to do that, the S4 launch was panned for being insulting to women, their Superbowl ads attacked Apple USERS and not the devices (insulted people aren’t going to switch and buy your stuff). Apple’s Mac PC guy ads cleverly attacked the DEVICE the PC and not the people using them . (I suspect apple learnt from their ‘lemming’ ads launching Mac Office many years ago that negative ads like that don’t work very well )
2) older folks are the ones with money ( THAT GRADUATION POOL PARTY, is that house the kids or the parents? and if it was normal it would be the parents PAYING for the PARTY ) . Older folks that buy the more expensive big TVS, the lux appliances etc. (these are real stats from ad studies. Just like most expensive cars even sports cars are bought by older people ) Grandma and Grandpa are the ones that buy the most expensive Christmas gifts for the grandkids : the tablets, the mp3 players etc. Insulting them as ‘not being very smart’ is not very smart. On a subtle level older folks watching those samsung ads are made uncomfortable (just like some women watching the S4 launch presentation), they are made to feel ‘clueless, young people are smarter’ etc. I suspect at (perhaps a subconscious level) it’s going to build up a dislike for samsung products (just like the Superbowl ‘Apple Fans are Stupid’ ads cemented dislike for samsung among many apple users) and might translate into lost Samsung sales for TVs, appliances etc. The big box retailer in my area has big sale on Samsung monitors and one of my monitors just blew but the Samsung ads has made me even LESS likely to buy their stuff – I disliked them for being copycats but now as an older person I’m more insulted . Is this going to hurt their appliance etc sales (most the $$$ earned from those things are from older richer folks).
(But then again we know that Samsung divisions are run by RIVAL FAMILY members – who frequently sue each other in court for tens of millions – so perhaps the Phone guys don’t give a rats azz for the rest (the appliance guys etc) ?)
Remember the ‘Cheap PC Lauren Ads’ ? The tech press was going crazy about how wonderful they were. As an Ad Pro I said to everyone they were crazy as they ‘Locked Down their business as the Cheap Segment’ i.e they trained people to think that ALL PCS should be Cheap! And Cheap means low profit margins! So now PC makers like Dell, HP are floundering because they can’t make profits, when they tried to launch the more expensive Macbook Air copies : the Ultrabooks it flunk as no one would pay Macbook Air prices for them since they were TRAINED by PC makers OWN ADS that PCs SHOULD BE CHEAP i.e they shot a big consumer segment and shot themselves . That’s why they are not running ‘PCs are Cheap’ ads anymore but its too late.
in some way they samsung ads are also tying down the demographic: that older (richer folks) don’t use their devices.
3) All the above said I wish Apple would up their advertising and PR.
Run some ads to take advantage of Windows 8 Vista dud and gain more mac market share (Macs at 5%, IPhone at 30%).
Emphasize the advantage of the Apple ECO SYSTEM. Also Apple is the one that builds the OS and the HARDWARE , this integration is big plus but apple doesn’t sell it and most people don’t realize Samsung doesn’t use it’s own OS (and therefore integration – is not as good as apples – resulting in poorer ease of use , bugs, malware etc ).
—
I was an Ad pro.
Good analysis… I’m one of the ‘older folks’ who has the money to pay for that party, or could have stood in line waiting for the iPhone…and those ads do piss me off! I have two Samsung TV’s that I purchased years ago. My next TV or appliance will NOT be Samsung! So you are right, it was a bad move on their part to push their wares in this way, if people like me are turned off by the ads. BTW, I did not know about the rival family thing. Interesting.
@ anon C
If I may say so, your post is a great example to the more bombastic and vitriolic among MDN posters.
You say things like:
– Is this going to hurt their appliance etc sales?
– I wish Apple would up their advertising and PR.
Writing “is this” and “I wish”, you clearly express your opinion, while leaving it open to others to suggest other thoughts. You also – in your great long post – do not call anyone names or swear at them.
Thanks — both for the content of what you wrote, and for the manner of writing.
This is the same stale bullshit Pepsi has been pushing for over 50 years. We are young, we are hip, we are smart and the other guys are old, square and clueless.
It is the same lame shit used in TV and movies where the smart assed kid knows everything and the adults are a bunch of bumbling fools. It panders to the perception every generation coming of age
has that their story truly is different than those who have gone before.
This is funny. My 11 year old son and my 13 year old daughter both have iPhone 4s and can’t wait for the new model to come out. So do most of their friends. My daughter always helps my wife with her iPhone 5
Right. I am old enough to be outside the cool factor, but I see enough young people on the subway with iPhones to know that the ad is inaccurate.
However, I will say that it does get one thing right – old people like me with disposable income DO own iPhones and help drive the revenue stream that Apple gets. Not so bad having some old people like me owning iPhones.
If I was a kid today I would be insult by Samdung ad. Beside Apple may not be Samdung biggest problem, if I were to buy a droid phone, and that is a big if, It would not be Samdung plastic POS. Besides I am becoming an old fart who loves my iPhone 5.
Go right ahead Samsung make fun of the vast majority of Americans – remember Apple doesn’t make home appliances or TV’s (yet). And I’m never buying Samsung products ever again!!! Way to alienate millions of potential customers!
Samsung does not need you! They are selling millions of TVs still.
Not for long, if they keep up these shit shenanigans.
And what evidence do you have to support this? Remember, Shitscum DOESN’T REPORT ACTUAL SALES NUMBERS!
Pretty good ad, however that phone is a little too big for my taste.
I wonder if they will catch on fire like the Samsung washing machines.
http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/samsung-inundated-faulty-washing-machine-calls-5427656
Maybe that is a hidden feature not advertised.
It is… I mean, wouldn’t it great to have a fireplace in your laundry room? INNOVATION! Lol
These Ads are great. Apple is low lacking in the advertising area compared to Samsung and Nokia.
Apple is now iFollow.
I’m getting old watching this.