Samsung vs. Apple

Something interesting that I have seen in recent months has been the marketing strategy used by Samsung in promoting the new S4 smartphone. Like everyone else, I have seen commercials promoting the S4 as” the next big thing is here”. As a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone, Samsung’s strategy has been to bluntly show customers that it is better than the iPhone. Its commercials clearly mock Apple users and the idea of waiting for the next version to come out. As an iPhone user, I have to say that I was turned off to Samsung’s strategy as it clearly criticizes Apple’s iPhone.  I feel that many Apple users will likely stay away from Samsung unless they are very dissatisfied with their phone. The strategy taken by Samsung made me think of other situations where a company took its competitors “head-on”. The first example that comes to mind is Pepsi’s commercial of the Pepsi-Coke challenge where it directly stated that it is better than Coca Cola. Marketing techniques like these are interesting as the company states that it is better where in most cases the market or the customer will determine the better product.