The former creative director at advertising firm TBWA\Chiat\Day, who came up with the name "iMac" as well as Apple's iconic "Think Different" campaign, believes Samsung's latest television advertisements have proven effective against Apple.
Ken Segall shared his opinions on his official blog, Observatory, this week, where he said that Apple is "battling where it used to crush," as discovered by Apple 2.0. While Segall said Apple has a history of being the "gold standard" in marketing, the company is no longer "untouchable when it comes to advertising."
"The fact is, it is being touched — often and effectively — by none other than Samsung," Segall said. "Samsung has made remarkable inroads in a very short time, for two big reasons."
First among those is the fact that Samsung has spent "a fortune" to run its advertisements, outspending rivals Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and even Coca-Cola. But beyond its cash, Samsung's message has also been "potent," Segall believes.
"The company continues to bash away at Apple, delivering ads that are well produced, well written, and seem to be striking a nerve," he said. "In contrast to Apple, which has been sticking to its product-based ads, Samsung has been scoring points with its people-based ads — most of which play off some growing negative perceptions about Apple."
He believes Apple is like President Barack Obama after his first debate against Republican challenger Mitt Romney in last year's U.S. election. Segall said he expects to see Apple rebound just like Obama did last year in his second debate.
Apple's advertising stumbled last year, when the company debuted a series of "Genius" ads during the Summer Olympics which showed Apple Store employees helping customers in unique situations. Critics, including Segall, panned the advertisements as not up to Apple's standards, and the company fully abandoned the campaign only weeks later.
Samsung struck earlier this year with a series of ads that aired during the Super Bowl, while Apple remained silent during the NFL's championship game. And then on Sunday during the Oscars, Apple debuted one new ad, while Samsung ran a series of commercials, including one featuring director Tim Burton.