that samsung galaxy commercial...

[piecemeal]

So how do you switch people over from a company that sells "cool", you try and make them look "uncool", which is what this ad is trying to do. I wouldn't say Samsung was WAY off with this commercial.

[kylekrische]

That was probably the biggest point of my long post:

Apple doesn't sell cool, Apple IS cool. These are two very very different things.

It`s like Kleenex. You don`t try and rebrand snot rags with a new name to try and take down the Kleenex brand. You slap your shitty logo on a similar product and hope some of the market latches on.

[harryq]

That was probably the biggest point of my long post:

Apple doesn't sell cool, Apple IS cool. These are two very very different things.

It`s like Kleenex. You don`t try and rebrand snot rags with a new name to try and take down the Kleenex brand. You slap your shitty logo on a similar product and hope some of the market latches on.

if your product was better at holding snot and not falling apart, you'd probably do a commercial comparing your product to Kleenex, though. sure, you usually don't see brands referred to by name (instead, it's "the leading competitor"), but presumably there's more money in the cellphone market than there is in the tissue market (e.g., 2 year contracts, junk like phone cases, extended warranties, etc.), so the stakes are higher and it's understandable that you'd be a little more aggressive. besides, there's a clear distinction between apple and android, as opposed to, say, bounty paper towels, brawny paper towels, and everyone else.

lastly, phones are too expensive to develop to slap a "samsung" logo on them and hope someone buys them

[kylekrische]

Ugh, None of my post had anything to actually do with paper towels, tissues, the approximate market value of any of those.

I'll try for the last time then I'm out.

Apple is a brand. Apple is THE brand. Samsung is trying to build their brand (this applies to their phones ONLY) off of someone else's already established brand. While the consumer market may be pretty dumb for the most part, one thing though that almost always gets recognized is authenticity. Apple doesn't sell cool, they are an authentic brand, which in turn makes them cool. Samsung has chosen to try and brand their phone in relation to other phones out there. The Galaxy persona is based on what it isn't, not what it actually is. It's like that episode of Community where Troy is trying to decide whether or not to wear the letterman jacket. Either way he was doing it for someone else, which made him lame.

[kylekrische]

I just watched the new online Blackberry commercial thing and they nailed it. A bunch of nerds talking about nerd stuff and being funny. They're not trying to take down anyone, they just want to maintain their share and if their shit is as good as they think it is, new customers will come later. It spoke directly to their audience (balding, old, white businessmen) and I think is super effective.

Another downside of the samsung route is that if you're trying to steal customers, the worst way to do that is to make those iphone users feel like idiots. Blackberry figured that out and I think will do just fine with the release of their new phones.

[xadamhudsonx]

This is what you look and sound like camping out in front of an Apple store to buy a new version of a phone you already have.

Die hard Apple users are only getting butthurt about it because you're not supposed to make fun of the "cool kids".

[midnightcity]

I mentioned one time here on the board that Apple doesn't sell products, they sell an image.

So, when I bought an iMac to build and design this site, I bought it to look cool?

Or did I buy it because Windows is the biggest piece of shit to ever connect a series of peripherals, harddrives and cpus together?

And I bought an iPod to look cool? Or because its still (and was in its heyday) the best-in-class music player on the market. Or maybe I should ask how your Zune is doing? Or Creative Zen?

I bet you blame beer companies for alcoholism as well.

[harryq]

I just watched the new online Blackberry commercial thing and they nailed it. A bunch of nerds talking about nerd stuff and being funny. They're not trying to take down anyone, they just want to maintain their share and if their shit is as good as they think it is, new customers will come later. It spoke directly to their audience (balding, old, white businessmen) and I think is super effective.

Another downside of the samsung route is that if you're trying to steal customers, the worst way to do that is to make those iphone users feel like idiots. Blackberry figured that out and I think will do just fine with the release of their new phones.

so blackberry has an 18% decline in the share of smartphone subscribers over a 3 month period (granted, this is probably more due to an increase in cell-phone subscribers rather than people jumping ship, but whatever) and

their stock prices have plummeted (and, yes, the economy has been rough lately, but I doubt apple's stock prices look like this).

yep, seems like marketing to a niche group of old, white businessmen is a perfect strategy for them.

anyhoo, when one single company (apple) has 33% of the smartphone users, trying to steal some of them away seems like a good idea to me. the hardcore people aren't going to change their minds, so you don't need to worry about making them feel like idiots (this is like the "romney 47%" analogy), but if you can steal 10% of the other users, that's what? at least a couple million new users? does that not seem worth it? and I imagine android users enjoy the commercials, too, so it seems like a win-win

[thebiglebowski]

Kyle,

If Apple thinks "We are Apple, the biggest company in the world. It doesn't matter if we supply inferior products. Our image will overcome it" that will bite them in the ass. See the Big 3 vs. Toyota from the 70s on. I'm sure there were dudes in Rome that thought they had reached the peak of civilization (my point being that change is one of the few constants in the world).

If Samsung makes superior products at lower prices and comes up with a way to market them that get's people excited, they will eventually win over Apple customers (not saying this add necessarily does that, but they are trying and being aggressive). If they don't (and I'm not saying it is easy to do. Apple is the second biggest tech company in history. Microsoft in the 90s was actually a bigger when adjusted for things like inflation), Apple will continue on as they have. They have to try, though. All you did was rant about how it's a lost cause. It isn't. Apple was in the same situation as RIM before Jobs saved it.

And as far as operating systems go, Apple is the go to for designers, photographers, etc. No doubt. It has the best software for that. For everyone else, Linux FTW. Why pay for an operating system at all?

[Guest]

but samsung doesn't have a case for making products that are superior OR priced lower.

the features of each phone come down to user preference. and if you go on to at&t right now, you can buy either the iphone or the galaxy for $199 with a 2-yr plan.

just like kyle said, attacking the market of your opposition isn't the way to win them over.

[Guest]

so blackberry has an 18% decline in the share of smartphone subscribers over a 3 month period (granted, this is probably more due to an increase in cell-phone subscribers rather than people jumping ship, but whatever) and

their stock prices have plummeted (and, yes, the economy has been rough lately, but I doubt apple's stock prices look like this).

yep, seems like marketing to a niche group of old, white businessmen is a perfect strategy for them.

anyhoo, when one single company (apple) has 33% of the smartphone users, trying to steal some of them away seems like a good idea to me. the hardcore people aren't going to change their minds, so you don't need to worry about making them feel like idiots (this is like the "romney 47%" analogy), but if you can steal 10% of the other users, that's what? at least a couple million new users? does that not seem worth it? and I imagine android users enjoy the commercials, too, so it seems like a win-win

blackberry has long come to grips with being out of the race. they have their market. they're lucky to have that, really.

and blackberry didn't fall off because of marketing, it's because development was garbage. there was a time when apps were superfluous... basically just an excuse for the iphone to exist. (omg this app is like i'm pouring a beer!!)

but once apps were actually relevant, no one was making them for RIM... if you found anything useful, it was pretty much only available for iphone or android.

[thebiglebowski]

but samsung doesn't have a case for making products that are superior OR priced lower.

the features of each phone come down to user preference. and if you go on to at&t right now, you can buy either the iphone or the galaxy for $199 with a 2-yr plan.

just like kyle said, attacking the market of your opposition isn't the way to win them over.

Well like I posed the question to Kyle, what should they be doing? They can't really create customers. Anyone who doesn't have a smartphone by now is probably in that "I just want a phone that dials numbers and is simple" category (ie, 40s and up). They have to try and get them from their competitors.

Whether they have a superior product or not, they have to try and convince people that they do. Giving up isn't an option for a publicly traded company (at least until it's time to declare bankruptcy).

[jonnystorm777]

I just bought the galaxy s III and I love it. But I am a PC guy.

[kylekrische]

I said it earlier, they should be approach their marketing in a manner in which they showcase all the great aspects of the phone (which there are tons) not just pinning it up against the iPhone. The iPhone, the blackberry, whatever, none of that should come up in their ads at all. Win customers for what your phone is not what it is not.

That chart is great and all but it's only a six month period there. A period where nothing super new/crazy was hitting the market. I expect a large spike in the next two that account for the iPhone 5.

[rudeboydh]

Or maybe I should ask how your Zune is doing? Or Creative Zen?

I had both of these. Zen was first, and it crapped out after about a year and a half. My Zune was excellent while it lasted... but it only lasted about 2 1/2 years w/ a 1 year warranty...

So if I get another MP3 player, iPod it is!

[rudeboydh]

Anyone who doesn't have a smartphone by now is probably in that "I just want a phone that dials numbers and is simple" category (ie, 40s and up).

I take offense to this! How about the "Hey, I don't wanna be charged at least $15 extra a month for data" category. I'd rather just buy an extra record a month.

[Guest]

the zune desktop program is a nightmare

[thebiglebowski]

Sure rudeboy. Any blanket statement about a huge population is gonna have exceptions. I am so locked into smartphones I didn't consider that.

Kyle, if your problem is with negative advertising then maybe you should first condemn every political ad that was ever made. Not saying I love it but clearly it works because it is everywhere. This is just one example of a tool many many companies use, so I still don't see a problem. Their goal is to make sales not to play nice in a sandbox with all the other smartphone producers.

[scottheisel]

the zune desktop program is a nightmare

I used to do freelance work for Zune. If you think their desktop program was bad, just imagine how impossible their back-end was.

[Shitty Rambo]

HOLD ONTO YOUR MORTARBOARDS!

[media=]

[/media]

[thebiglebowski]

Looks like all the "apple is untouchable" talk in this thread was wrong. Stock has been dumping while RIMM is on fire and Samsung has done fine.

 

Obviously stock price isn't a perfect indicator of business performance but it is a good one, taking into account current sales and future market projections.

 

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=000830.KS+Interactive#symbol=000830.ks;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=AAPL+Interactive#symbol=aapl;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=RIMM+Interactive#symbol=rimm;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

[bluedeni]

Steve Woziniak has even said that he doesn't believe the iPhone will last and Android will be the standard bearer. I don't see the IPhone becoming synomonous with cellphones like IPod did with the MP3 player.

[hipsterasfolk]

Sprint EVO needs to release a download of the Wilco cover still....

[noalarmplanet]

Looks like all the "apple is untouchable" talk in this thread was wrong. Stock has been dumping while RIMM is on fire and Samsung has done fine.

 

Obviously stock price isn't a perfect indicator of business performance but it is a good one, taking into account current sales and future market projections.

 

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=000830.KS+Interactive#symbol=000830.ks;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=AAPL+Interactive#symbol=aapl;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=RIMM+Interactive#symbol=rimm;range=3m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

http://readwrite.com/2012/06/28/rims-quarterly-loss-much-worse-than-expected I realize this is from last quarter but rim ain't doing dandy...

[steviex2shoes]

Really just have to wait and see how well Blackberry 10 OS is received.  It's supposed to be really good, but that is just what the company says.