A new series of commercials from Samsung that poke fun at Apple fans are gaining traction on the Internet today. The shorter ad opens with a group of Apple aficionados in line for Cupertino's iPhone 4S in New York, a typical sight on launch day in most large cities across the country. The group talks about how this is "an event" and they will remember it for the rest of their lives.
About that time, another guy outside the line attracts the group's attention with his smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy S II. The Apple fanboys comment on how light and thin the device is and how large the display is. Mr. Galaxy exits and the phrase "the next big thing is already here" flashes across the screen. The Apple crew then rationalizes that their screen is smaller because it's "retro", and retro is the new cool thing.
An extended version of the clip draws the humor out for nearly a minute longer, showcasing multiple scenarios in San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, Chicago and Boston. There are plenty of cliché iPhone mocks, such as line dwellers questioning if the phone is 4G capable and wondering how others will know they have upgraded if the new phone looks the same.
After eyeballing the Galaxy S II, one guy says he could never get a Samsung because he is creative. His friend informs him, "Dude, you're a barista."
Samsung's vice president of strategic marketing had this to say about the ads.
"We're not targeting fanboys. We're not going to convert them. We're using them as a foil to target current Android users upgrading to a new phone and people entering the smartphone market for the first time."
Let's just hope this bit of creative advertising doesn't lead to yet another Apple / Samsung court battle.