Recently, I’ve been comparing the marketing messages from Microsoft, Samsung, and Apple. The differences are telling.
Smartphones have reached a point of parity. Every flagship device is competitive. Features are copied, refined, and copied again. Functionally, the products are similar. But the companies behind them see completely different worlds.
They all have the market, the timing, and the budget. But look at the message they choose to broadcast.
Samsung: The Challenger Mindset
There is palpable sarcasm in Samsung’s ads, mostly directed at Apple. The jokes often fall flat or feel forced. The entire message boils down to one defensive stance: “Apple is not the next big thing, the Galaxy is.”
Over the years, Samsung has poured an enormous amount of cash into anti-Apple campaigns. The most obvious example? Setting up a specific “try it out” booth right outside a major Apple Store for two years running. It feels like they are stuck in the past lawsuit era, unable to move on and define their own identity.
Microsoft: The “Cool” Factor
Kids, students, artists, and business professionals clicking their Surface keyboards in rhythm, dancing in the streets. They snap the keyboard on to generate a beat, looking awesome while doing it.
There is only one word for this message: “Cool.” It feels high-energy, loud, and very close to the “Gangnam Style” era of marketing. It captures attention, but does it capture the soul of the product?
Apple: The Human Experience
A montage of people taking pictures. Recording moments. Starting conversations. It shows people enjoying their lives, with the phone acting merely as a conduit for that joy.
The commercial is emotional because it is relatable. I see myself in those snapshots. I have lived those moments. The message isn’t about the megapixels or the processor speed. It is about the experience the product brings to life.
Update History
- 2019/11/25: Fixed commercial video links
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