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Samsung's lead over Apple last year in the smartphone race was helped by a massive marketing blitz, reports The Wall Street Journal.

ad-spend.jpg
Figures published by Kantar Media showed that in 2011, Apple was outspending Samsung three-to-one in mobile phone advertising (red graphics). Samsung massively increased its phone advertising spending from $78 million in 2011 to $401 million in 2012, 20% higher than Apple's $333 million.
The willingness to spend heavily could prove even more important as the technology gap between rivals narrows.

"They understand how to build a strong product...and have been willing to invest to drive their success," said Michael Sievert, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile USA Inc., a unit of Deutsche Telekom DTE.

To be sure, Apple remains a powerful brand that benefits from its own advertising and ubiquitous references in popular culture. Apple's iPhone is America's most effective mobile phone brand, advertising analytics firm Ace Metrix said in January. But Samsung finished second in phones and was the top technology brand of 2012, said Ace.
Samsung has been running a high-profile teaser campaign for its Galaxy S IV phone due to be launched tomorrow at Radio City Music Hall, and will undoubtedly continue that push with even more advertising to drive sales of the new flagship device.

Just weeks ago, Ken Segall, the creative director behind several of Apple's ad campaigns including the iconic "Think Different" effort, highlighted the effectiveness of Samsung's people-based ads, arguing that Apple needs to step up its game in order to counter Samsung's marketing successes.

Article Link: Samsung Marketing Blitz Outpaced Apple in 2012
 

JaySoul

macrumors 68030
Jan 30, 2008
2,629
2,865
Whilst the quality of Samsung's marketing has been variable, the length and breadth of it has been astonishing - and has certainly played a vital role in their recent success.
 

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
Yeah, it's obvious to see they've been dumping tons of cash to get in front of everyone that's for sure. Will be interesting to see how sustainable it is. Apple really should step up the marketing as well... the competition is getting fierce and I'm sure Blackberry, HTC or one of them will be stepping it up too to compete.
 

deavy

macrumors newbie
Mar 13, 2013
6
8
So The Wall Street Journal wants to say that Samsung spend on smartphone advertising only 400 million from 12 billion? What about another 11,5 billion? Marketing of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners?
 

KieranDotW

macrumors 6502a
Apr 12, 2012
623
68
Canada
Lesson learned: the more you spend on advertising, the more your product sells.

If you ask me, putting ads in the MIDDLE of YouTube videos (yes that happens now) makes me want to purposefully avoid buying your product. Maybe that's just me, because apparently it's working.
 

LorPGDL

macrumors regular
Apr 23, 2011
139
0
the samsung s 4 teaser apps are easily the worst ads ive seen for a long long time.
 

iPusch

macrumors 6502
May 30, 2012
379
0
Manhattan, New York
Where do Apples 333'000'000$ go to?
Barely see any Apple advertisement on TV nor YouTube...
(Don't really watch much of that stuff tho)

Okk sometimes on the back of the Time magazine, but c'mon


haha but this weird Discover Card ad -.- yay
 

OllyW

Moderator
Staff member
Oct 11, 2005
17,196
6,799
The Black Country, England
So The Wall Street Journal wants to say that Samsung spend on smartphone advertising only 400 million from 12 billion? What about another 11,5 billion? Marketing of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners?

Have you considered the advertising they have placed in other countries?
 

Astroexe

macrumors member
Feb 19, 2012
57
0
Netherlands
Apple now needs to start working on Singular effective product-specific apps over multiple forgettable ones.

The trend of theme-centric ads (Movies, Productivity, Science etc.) are ok to tell an audience about what that thing can do.. but what about what it's even like? I think Apple missed a trick by giving those short, introduction, three second videos that are used in keynotes. No additional spending, introduces a market in a simple and effective way.
 

TallManNY

macrumors 601
Nov 5, 2007
4,728
1,582
Considering the size of these markets and the profit both company is making from its devices, these are fairly small advertising budgets. Apple could easily increase its ad budget to $2 billion and if that increased sales across its lines by only 5% (some that is a 600% increase in ads for a 5% increase in sales) it would be a wash.
 

bbeagle

macrumors 68040
Oct 19, 2010
3,539
2,972
Buffalo, NY
Barely see any Apple advertisement on TV nor YouTube...
(Don't really watch much of that stuff tho)

It all depends on WHAT you watch. I watch mostly Netflix and recorded network TV where I zip through commercials on my Tivo. I don't get any commercials there.

The only places I watch commercials are sporting events, or big events such as the Oscars. I've noticed both Apple and Samsung in those genres.
 

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
So The Wall Street Journal wants to say that Samsung spend on smartphone advertising only 400 million from 12 billion? What about another 11,5 billion? Marketing of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners?

Did you even read the article? It mentions phone advertising within the US. The figure wasn't limited to smartphones, but it was specific to the US market.
 

HenryDJP

Suspended
Nov 25, 2012
5,084
843
United States
Apple now needs to start working on Singular effective product-specific apps over multiple forgettable ones.

The Developers have to pay Apple for that type of frontline publicity. It's not always financially feasible. Some of the most useful apps may be from the smallest developers that are still trying to "make it".
 
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