Apple Narrows Gap in U.S. Advertising Spending With Rival Samsung

[samcraig]

I have always been an iPhone user. I decided to go into the android world unbiassed by switching over to the HTC One first, then the S4. Both are good phones, but their downfalls is Android, and the User Experience that both companies implemented with their customer interfaces. NFC is useless, all the eye stuff for the S4 are just gimmicks. Both phones can get annoying to use. The only thing I miss from both phones are the Bigger screens, and the swipe to text features. Other than that, I don't see why Samsung likes to bash Apple when their Galaxies are full of flaws that far surpass the iPhones. The build quality of the HTC is an illusion as well. It's a beautiful phone, but some of the plastic parts are just pathetic quality, even dye from your jean pockets will get stuck to it, and it will be hard to take off. I had the silver HTC One with white trim, and wore it with some red cargo shorts I had once, and it turned into an silver HTC one with a pink trim.

I have a different experience. I love my iPhone - but use my S4 way more now. The camera software is far superior as are the images/videos I can take with it.

NFC as a payment method hasn't been very useful for me - however since my wife also has an Android phone - the ability to tap our phones to transfer pictures, a webpage we're looking at, etc has been great.

I also have had few glitches with Android as an OS - nothing that I didn't experience with iOS either.

But everyone should use the phone and OS they prefer. And leave it at that. Everyone has a different use case and subjective opinion. Bashing other phones just because it's not the one you use is silly. Let everyone enjoy their purchases. The "judgy" behavior is pretty appalling.

 

[Illusion986]

I say yes and no.

Apple needs to concentrate on their feature lists.

At this point Samsung is so far ahead.

I like Apple for its ease of use. This is great but that yesterdays feature.

OS wise Microsoft is even ahead. I can't count how many times I try swiping down from the top of the screen to close an app. I like having two apps open on the screen at the same time.

Apple just catch up, pass them up and do what you do.

Sorry but you kind of sound like a marketing douche. Ease of use is "yesterdays feature"?

Ease of use will always be the number 1 feature for the general consumer of electronics and software.

Why are you trying to close an app by swiping down? Not sure I understand your problem.

So instead of complaining about the iPhone's 4" screen being too small, you want two apps open on it at the same time???

I think he does have a point with ease of use being yesterday's future. Meaning that most of os's are fairly easy to use now days while ios possibly still the easiest. Possibly because it doesn't have all that many features that others do. And while average consumer might not need all those extras a lot of us would like them. And as two apps open at once iphone does have a small screen for it to be very productive but on iPad it makes perfect sense.

 

[samcraig]

True.

The SIZE of the phone is the main feature that makes the purchasing decision of an Android over an iPhone - not what the phone can do.

Galaxies are full of flaws, but you can't count on the media to report it. Apple needs to step to the plate and ADVERTISE the flaws.

Both OSes have their positives and negatives.

 

[macfacts]

This is not a surprise. People bash me when I say the success of Samsung's Galaxy line is an affect of their drastic marketing.

I'm sure it is a surprise to some (yea right hahaha), because Apple has been saying Samsung's success has been because they copied some patents ... the rounded corners, slide to unlock, bounce back scrolling, auto hot linking phone numbers or URLs in text, searching the web and phone from one interface.

If Samsung's success is mostly to do with ads, then those patents should not be worth the $2billion Apple is trying to sue for.

 

[TWSS37]

True.

The SIZE of the phone is the main feature that makes the purchasing decision of an Android over an iPhone - not what the phone can do.

Galaxies are full of flaws, but you can't count on the media to report it. Apple needs to step to the plate and ADVERTISE the flaws.

Flaws such as what?

Features that you don't like/see no benefit in are not flaws.

 

[dragje]

Apple might be narrowing the gap in phone advertising, but Samsung still spends a boatload overall.
Image

The weird thing is that I never ever see an Apple commercial any longer. I never did saw them here in Europe but I don't see them online for several years in a row now. While Samsung's commercials are everywhere....

I'm ok with the discontunuation of pc nerdy guy vs mac "cool" guy commercials but where is the real new format? The last Apple commercial I can remember was pretty boring, the overal cliche of a happy family with kids but without any kind of humor in it....

Long time ago Apple did made "ok" commercials, like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGmjr4p34Y8

But the best Apple commercials in my opinion where those with a strong symbolic statement, like the slogan "Think Different" brilliant in all it's simplicity..

Anyway, for those who like to see all the commercials made by Apple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SIgYp3XTMk

 

[nagromme]

How is Apple doing catching up to Smasung in kickbacks to salespeople to push Samsung over others? A LOT of people just get whatever the salesperson says is "best," especially at similar prices.

For all those who say Samsung's ad spending is just because they sell more than phones: that's a weak excuse. Apple sells (and advertises) more than phones too; and brand advertising boosts sales of all products. But phones are what Samsung advertises to death, at least here in the US.

Samsung's marketing spending--on phones--truly has been massive. And impossible for Android competitors to match.

But advertising is but one PART of Samsung's phone marketing budget. The kickbacks are huge, and Apple pays zero there. Even in an Apple Store they don't work on commission.

Details:
http://www.asymco.com/2012/11/29/the-cost-of-selling-galaxies/

If Samsung's success is mostly to do with ads, then those patents should not be worth the $2billion Apple is trying to sue for.

What's your math there? And where does the word "mostly" come from?

Flaws such as what?

Features that you don't like/see no benefit in are not flaws.

But features that don't work well ARE flaws (like Samsung-specific additions to Android that people end up turning off because they are so bad, or that support very few apps). And any Apple flaw gets reported to death in a way Samsung doesn't get--it may get noticed, but not shouted to the rooftops and immortalized.

Galaxy flaws include a lack of easy, free full-system backup and restore so all your "stuff" and customizations are exactly as-was when you get a warranty swap or your next upgraded phone. And tons of malware. And poor battery life (not for everyone, but it's VERY easy for apps to do that compared to iOS--my Samsung friends carry chargers all day). And lack of timely updates to the latest software. And lack/delay of the best quality apps. And preloaded bloatware. And problems connecting to D-Link brand routers. And flimsy construction (especially the thin plastic back-pieces). And slow cameras. And poor viewing angles (and sometimes the awful pentile matrix.) And does use of child labor count as a flaw? Because while Apple roots out such problems in public, working to solve them in an unprecedented way, Samsung sweeps them under the rug.

Imagine the D-Link problem--just that one--if it were on an Apple device. It would be "D-Gate" and remembered for generations, and if Apple fixed it the next week, the media and bloggers (astroturfers?) would conveniently overlook that.

 

[samcraig]

But advertising is but one PART of Samsung's phone marketing budget. The kickbacks are huge, and Apple pays zero there. Even in an Apple Store they don't work on commission.

Apple doesn't have to worry about incentives because they have a contracted amount of phones carriers must sell.

 

[tasset]

Apple doesn't have to worry about incentives because they have a contracted amount of phones carriers must sell.

I don't think Apple would offer incentives even if there were not contracted amounts. It really is an unseemly activity to begin with. Ultimately it results in unsatisfied customers who are more likely to return the product and then poof goes the profitability.

 

[samcraig]

I don't think Apple would offer incentives even if there were not contracted amounts. It really is an unseemly activity to participate in.

I think having narrow margins and having high contracted #s is just as unseemly side to side.

At the end of the day - it's an attempt to "fix" the market.

 

[milo]

"Clever"?

 

[tasset]

I think having narrow margins and having high contracted #s is just as unseemly side to side.

At the end of the day - it's an attempt to "fix" the market.

Narrow margins for who? The phone company? I don't see them inventing smartphones. And they aren't exactly busting their rears to make the biggest baddest ubiquitous networks. Were it not for having a competitor or two they would do absolutely nothing at all.

 

[samcraig]

But features that don't work well ARE flaws (like Samsung-specific additions to Android that people end up turning off because they are so bad, or that support very few apps). And any Apple flaw gets reported to death in a way Samsung doesn't get--it may get noticed, but not shouted to the rooftops and immortalized.

Galaxy flaws include a lack of easy, free full-system backup and restore so all your "stuff" and customizations are exactly as-was when you get a warranty swap or your next upgraded phone. And tons of malware. And poor battery life (not for everyone, but it's VERY easy for apps to do that compared to iOS--my Samsung friends carry chargers all day). And lack of timely updates to the latest software. And lack/delay of the best quality apps. And preloaded bloatware. And problems connecting to D-Link brand routers. And flimsy construction (especially the thin plastic back-pieces). And slow cameras. And poor viewing angles (and sometimes the awful pentile matrix.) And does use of child labor count as a flaw? Because while Apple roots out such problems in public, working to solve them in an unprecedented way, Samsung sweeps them under the rug.

Imagine the D-Link problem--just that one--if it were on an Apple device. It would be "D-Gate" and remembered for generations, and if Apple fixed it the next week, the media and bloggers (astroturfers?) would conveniently overlook that.

No features you don't like or would never use aren't flaws. If so, iOS has a bunch as well.

I have a Samsung device - tell me what Malware is on my phone. My battery life on my S4 is longer (way) than on my newest iPhone. By at least an hour or two.

Google Play services and core apps are constantly updated. Almost weekly. I don't care about MAJOR os updated because I buy the phone for what it can do - not what it might do in the future.

I have never had an app on iOS that I couldn't get on Android and that didn't function the same or similar. This is a subjective comment based on what Apps one uses.

My viewing angles are no better/no worse than on my iPhone.

And the camera and software on my Samsung blows the iPhone away. I rarely pick up my iPhone to take a picture now.

I guess different people have different experiences. Crazy huh?

----------

Narrow margins for who? The phone company? I don't see them inventing smartphones. And they aren't exactly busting their rears to make the biggest baddest ubiquitous networks. Were it not for having a competitor or two they would do absolutely nothing at all.

No - but the issue being addressed is that Android OEMs offer incentives, right? Part of that is profit margin carriers make by selling their phones. Apple phones have less margin.

So all things equal - assume no kickbacks and no contracts - carriers make more money selling (some) Android phones as I understand it.

Apple "gets away" with low profits AND big sales because they HAVE contracts to sell a set amount.

 

[69Mustang]

Apple might be narrowing the gap in phone advertising, but Samsung still spends a boatload overall.
Image

Chart is sort of misleading right? First the data is 2 years old so it's not relevant. The OP does direct comparison of spending. You use spending from Samsung Electronics (SE) to support your narrative. SE is phones, televisions, cameras/camcorders, semiconductors, and LCD/LED panels. So yeah, they're still spending a boatload. But not exactly an accurate comparison.

Apple is a pretty smart company. They saw the direct and immediate impact of Samsung's marketing blitz. They decided to fight fire with fire. I think Apple was genuinely caught off guard by the success of Samsung's marketing campaigns. Lesson learned. I doubt they will be caught off guard again.

HTC could learn a thing or two from Samsung. Their ad for the M8 strives to hard to be high concept Apple. It doesn't work. Show your damn product. Not Gary Oldman telling me I don't need to see it.

 

[oliversl]

I would have expected an Apple ad in the article ...

 

[tragicfame]

Quality

Cost and features can win out over quality, especially for those who switch phones frequently. But I have owned a Galaxy S before as well as a Motorola and two other android phones and all four models made by different manufacturers exhibited the exact same behavior. Between a year and a half and two years, the phones started "auto touching" themselves. It was kind of weird, but they'd start launching apps, typing emails, texting folks, and even making phone calls all by themselves. To watch them do it, you'd swear they were on some kind of crack and nothing they texted, emailed or wrote made any sense. But the fact was, the phones were dorked. Then when you see that you can't just upgrade to that newer version of Android and that the carrier has some kind of lock on the phone that the folks at XDA-developers have yet to bypass for you to put the buggy build of Cyanogenmod which breaks the 4G service and the LED flashlight functions. Well, then they'll be wishin they had an iPhone.... Or at least, that's what happened to me. Results may vary.

 

[samcraig]

Cost and features can win out over quality, especially for those who switch phones frequently. But I have owned a Galaxy S before as well as a Motorola and two other android phones and all four models made by different manufacturers exhibited the exact same behavior. Between a year and a half and two years, the phones started "auto touching" themselves. It was kind of weird, but they'd start launching apps, typing emails, texting folks, and even making phone calls all by themselves. To watch them do it, you'd swear they were on some kind of crack and nothing they texted, emailed or wrote made any sense. But the fact was, the phones were dorked. Then when you see that you can't just upgrade to that newer version of Android and that the carrier has some kind of lock on the phone that the folks at XDA-developers have yet to bypass for you to put the buggy build of Cyanogenmod which breaks the 4G service and the LED flashlight functions. Well, then they'll be wishin they had an iPhone.... Or at least, that's what happened to me. Results may vary.

Well not as much the iPhone, but the iPad had several people reporting phantom touches.

 

[lilo777]

How is Apple doing catching up to Smasung in kickbacks to salespeople to push Samsung over others? A LOT of people just get whatever the salesperson says is "best," especially at similar prices.

Missing in this analysis is the fact that Apple has huge own retail operation. It literally pay a lot of salespeople to sell iPhone exclusively. This is also a reason why Samsung promotional budget is much higher than Apple's. Obviously what Apple spends on retail counts as different budget category.

 

[wigby]

I agree. But who blames them? I DO. As should everyone else This topic would diverge into something else, so I'll briefly say that America's broadband infrastructure will slink further and further behind the rest of the world until it's realized en masse that "just another data pipe" is in the country's best interest.

I agree but when your billion dollar company is threatened to become a public utility and regulated even more by the government you take your billions and fight with lobbyists and rebranding your image as anything but a stupid pipe.

 

[superliu]

Apple might be narrowing the gap in phone advertising, but Samsung still spends a boatload overall.
Image

Where does Microsoft spend their advertising money on? Apart from seeing some stuff on xBox and surface, I don't notice any Microsoft advertising!

 

[69Mustang]

True.

The SIZE of the phone is the main feature that makes the purchasing decision of an Android over an iPhone - not what the phone can do.

Galaxies are full of flaws, but you can't count on the media to report it. Apple needs to step to the plate and ADVERTISE the flaws.

We must be looking at different media outlets. Samsung phones generally get so, so reviews. The tech press loves to harp on plastic body and saturated colors. The public thus far has basically ignored the tech press, otherwise we would be talking about HTC and not Samsung.

Bolded: All smartphones have their flaws. We're at a point now where a smartphone is a smartphone is a smartphone. There's hardly anything you can do with one that you can't do with any other. The differentiation tends to be more style than substance. Then there's size. For me it was easy. I looked at the functionality of handsets (same), app environment (same), and price (same). Screen real estate was a tangible difference. It was the tipping point in my decision. Apple could have been my choice. Unfortunately, it lacked the final piece of the puzzle to get my money. I think more people are like me rather than someone who just wants a bigger phone. I could be wrong. It's just opinion.

 

[samcraig]

We must be looking at different media outlets. Samsung phones generally get so, so reviews. The tech press loves to harp on plastic body and saturated colors. The public thus far has basically ignored the tech press, otherwise we would be talking about HTC and not Samsung.

Bolded: All smartphones have their flaws. We're at a point now where a smartphone is a smartphone is a smartphone. There's hardly anything you can do with one that you can't do with any other. The differentiation tends to be more style than substance. Then there's size. For me it was easy. I looked at the functionality of handsets (same), app environment (same), and price (same). Screen real estate was a tangible difference. It was the tipping point in my decision. Apple could have been my choice. Unfortunately, it lacked the final piece of the puzzle to get my money. I think more people are like me rather than someone who just wants a bigger phone. I could be wrong. It's just opinion.

I'll just add that it seems (at least with my extended circle) that the iPhone is the "de facto." Many I know have bought the iPhone because that what's everyone says to get. Not because they've actually done any homework on their own.

My father in law is an example. Owns an iPad. Loves it. However when he was finally ready to give up his dumbphone this past year, everyone was pushing him to get an iPhone because it was "easier" and "you already have apps on the iPad" etc. But he also wanted a bigger screen. He was torn because he knew little about Android - only that most of his family had iPhones. I told him ultimately what you stated above. They all would do whatever he needed to and handed him my phone for him to play with to see how much of an "adjustment" it would be. Now this is NO power user and other than his iPad usage - had never used a smart phone. Somehow (I say sarcastically) he was able to figure everything out he needed to do very quickly and when he went into the store ultimately decided on the S4. The screen was the deciding factor. But also, the "relief" that switching to another OS wasn't going to be mind boggling as some had intimated.

 

[bbeagle]

Flaws such as what?

Features that you don't like/see no benefit in are not flaws.

Wow. I responded to this post previously and used the term 'SamsungSheep' and got the post removed.

It's amazing that iSheep never gets posts removed, but SamsungSheep does. Interesting. Very unbiased there.

 

[LegacyMacUser]

Unfortunately, Samsung's add does make a few points. I think one of the poorest design moves was to put the headphone jack on the bottom. For many users, the screen is indeed too small. I'm personally OK with the size as it is now, but I know a bunch of people who want/need a bigger screen and Apple should've had one at least a year ago. And Samsung's ad shows off a few features that the iPhone should have. While Jony Ive was busy dumbing down and thus ruining the UI, Android-based companies were making improvements that people actually want and use.

Tim/Jony/Phil should be ashamed. But, on the other hand, Samsung has ripped most of their ideas from Apple. The current lawsuit will bear that out.

 

[kdarling]

Tim/Jony/Phil should be ashamed. But, on the other hand, Samsung has ripped most of their ideas from Apple. The current lawsuit will bear that out.

The current lawsuit could hardly be said to make up "most of their ideas", since it's only about five patents on features that are not necessary to have, and/or which have long ago been programmed around.

Three of them are about internal methods to do something, one is about how keyboard word recommendation is done, and one is about the old visual slide-to-unlock, which even Apple doesn't really use any more.