Marketing

Samsung Australia: We didn’t stage anti-Apple protest. So, who the heck did?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Apple's frenemy Samsung went on the record to deny speculation that it was behind a flashmob-style anti-Apple protest that occurred 'spontaneously' outside Apple's retail outlet in Sydney, Australia. More precisely, a spokesperson for Samsung said their Australian branch had nothing to do with the stunt.

But the curiously ambiguous response leaves open the possibility of Samsung of South Korea or any of their regional offices hiring a creative shop to stage the protest. Before you jump straight to the comments, know this...

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Childish: Samsung stages douchebag stunt urging Apple store shoppers to ‘Wake Up’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 11, 2017

File this one under the WTF category. Not content with referring to Apple's (and potentially its own) customers as the iSheep, South Korea-based Samsung has apparently staged a 'spontaneous' flash mob-style protest at an Apple store.

I ain't kidding. The video, included right below, depicts a crowd of people conveniently clad in black, wielding douchebag 'Wake Up' signs outside Apple's retail outlet in Sydney, Australia...

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Samsung teaser for the upcoming Galaxy SIII likens iPhone users to iSheep

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 23, 2012

Apple's frenemy Samsung is gearing up for the upcoming Mobile Unpacked 2012 event due May 3 in London. In order to pique interest, the company posted a new YouTube advert teasing its upcoming third-generation Galaxy smartphone.

The device is aimed at stealing the spotlight from Apple's sixth-generation iPhone due later this year. As has been the case with Samsung's advertising as of late, it subtly likens iPhone users to mindless sheep, but doesn't refer them directly.

Instead, the clip wraps up with a line suggesting the Galaxy III smartphone helps one stand out from everyone else, spiced up with an image of sheep. As the iPhone is the iconic handset by the world's top smartphone maker, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out to whom 'everyone else' refers to.

Check out the teaser video right below and tell us what you think...

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Apple features Siri in Rolling Stone magazine ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Apple's been heavily promoting Siri, an iPhone 4S-exclusive digital secretary, in television commercials that are being aired in the United States and promoted on Apple's website and their YouTube channel. But up until now, the company refrained from promoting the feature in print.

Apparently, the company has changed its mind as the first-ever Siri print ad makes its appearance in Rolling Stone magazine. The full-page advert depicts a user checking out a list of San Francisco coffee shops on an iPhone 4S.

This is accompanied by the tagline "I could use a latte" and a line saying "You speak. Siri helps. Say hello to the most amazing iPhone yet"...

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Nokia lampoons the iPhone with web videos ahead of Lumia 900 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 1, 2017

AT&T is saying its high-profile launch of the Nokia Lumia 900 in the United States will dwarf the iPhone. We'll see about that, but if a new Smartphone Betatest website is anything to go by, the Finnish cell phone giant isn't afraid at all to take pot shots at the carrier's 'hero' device.

Specifically, Nokia-posted videos on the site allude to the iPhone 4's perceived weaknesses, including the infamous cellular reception issue that culminated under the controversial Antennagate headline in 2010.

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1 Billion Smartphone Sales a Year Expected by 2016

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Smartphones are already growing to be more and more popular by the year, with marquee devices like Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S proving popular with buyers across the globe.

With smartphone sales between the 298 million and 321 million marks, depending on who you listen to, it's fair to say that the industry is on the up already. But, according to new research, it is believed that smartphones could hit the magic 1 billion sales mark as soon as 2016.

That's a lot of phones....

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Apple Steps Up Enterprise Marketing as RIM Self-Destructs

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

There were 2 major arenas that RIM had all to itself for the better part of a decade, and that was the government and enterprise users. And why wouldn't they? BlackBerries were secure and had a solid email system- it seemed like a no-brainer.

It looks like years of falling behind the curve, among other mistakes, have cost RIM their place at the top in those 2 markets. We've already seen the U.S. government drop their aging BlackBerries in favor of iPhones, and now it looks like Apple is prepared to move onto the enterprise space...

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Apple no Longer Serving iAds to Kids, Seriously Impacts Some Developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 25, 2017

I'm sure everyone is familiar with iAds by now. The service that Apple launched last year promised to change the way customers interact with advertisements. As with a lot of new ventures, the mobile ad platform got off to a rocky start.

Advertisers didn't like the mandatory $1,000,000 buy-in on top of several other complaints. Finally, Apple compromised and made some serious adjustments to iAds, in favor of its partners. They cut the buy-in in half and even created an app showcasing iAds, but did the changes stop there?

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China is the iPhone’s Fastest Growing Market

Alex Heath ∙ April 22, 2011

In Apple's Q1 earnings call, the company released very impressive numbers for its sales in the first three months of 2011. The iPhone's fastest growing market is China, with an over 250% increase in iPhone sales since this time last year.

China is a major hub for technology and smartphone innovation, and most iPhone knockoffs are Chinese-made. 10% of Apple's revenue comes from China (to the tune of about $5 billion). The iPhone is doing extremely well; now accounting for 8.3% of China's 850 million mobile customers.

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Apple Once Again Sends Jailbreak Community a Direct Message

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

A few days ago, we reported that Scion, a subsidiary of Toyota, was trying to break into the jailbreak scene with innovative marketing methods. They were the first major corporation to direct positive attention to the community, since its inception in 2007.

This was exciting for a couple of reasons. First, a major corporation advertising in Cydia certainly made jailbreaking seem more legitimate. It also meant that other companies might follow Scion's lead.

Multiple major brand names marketing to jailbroken devices would have meant more recognition and credibility to the community as a whole. It appears that the silence from Apple was too good to be true. ModMyi is reporting today that they were asked by Apple to remove the Scion theme from their Cydia repo....

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Analysts Claim iPhone is Thriving, Verizon iPhone Most Acquired Handset in the Month of February

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2011

Although they are still far behind other companies like Nokia and Samsung in total mobile market share, Apple is making a name for itself in the smartphone industry. Because of its popularity, Apple's products and sales garner a lot of speculation from marketing research firms. These companies do tons of research and conduct poles to analyze a company's performance.

This data is useful for a number of reasons, such as, guiding investors who are looking to make large stock purchases. Popular tech intelligence company comScore has done some number crunching that should give anyone contemplating Apple stock the green light.

Not only did Apple gain more mobile phone market share in the last 6 months than any other company, their Verizon branded iPhone was the most acquired handset in the month of February....

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