Samsung Galaxy: Growing Up Commercial

Smartphones have become a necessity in todays world. Because of this growing need, smart phone companies try to maintain the upper hand against their competitors. With massively consumer used companies such as Apple, this can be a challenge. However, Samsung's smartphones can be considered Apple's top competition. As the rivalry between Android and iPhone users continues to grow, persuasive advertising becomes an important tactic in stealing customers away from competition.

Last November, Samsung released their commercial titled, "Growing Up", which features  the chronological story of a loyal iPhone user who eventually decides to switch to a Samsung phone after realizing the iPhone might not be worth it anymore.

Samsung utilized real customer complaints and issues regarding the durability, format, and capability of an iPhone throughout the commercial with various examples such as its lack of strong battery life and loss of a headphone jack with the newest iPhone models. Samsung cleverly implemented the concept of "growth" and gave valuable insight on how brand loyalty isn't always beneficial, event after years of being a diehard consumer.

Being an iPhone user myself over the past 8 years or so, this commercial made me think about why I am so adamant about continuing using Apple products. I can't stand how weak my battery life is. I'm tired of my screen cracking. And I am especially upset that I no longer have a separate charging and headphone port. I haven't received any special offers for being a consistent iPhone user, and the more I spend on accessories and easy-to-break chargers, the less interested I've become in staying with Apple. Perhaps I've started to outgrow them too.

Earth - Shot on iPhone : Apple's Commercial Regarding Climate Change

Climate change is a prominent topic in today's society. With many people joining organizations that advocate for environmental safety and the expansion of scientific research regarding the change in our climate, many companies utilize the subject in their advertisements. Apple, for example, published a video commercial in June of last year showcasing different videos taken by iPhone users. The caption underneath the ad on Youtube states, "Our only home. Shot on iPhone through the lens of everyday users. Written and narrated by Carl Sagan, from the book, Pale Blue Dot — A Vision of the Human Future in Space. #OurOnlyHome #ShotoniPhone."

Carl Sagan was an American astronomer, author, and scientist who provided a substantial amount of research regarding extraterrestrial life. His book, Pale Blue Dot - A Vision of the Human Future in Space, Sagan implies that we have gained humility as human beings over many years because we are not the actual center of the universe and argues that organizations like NASA must focus on preserving Earth because it is the only home planet for the human species to exist on. 

In the commercial, Sagan states, "The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is no where else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Like or not, the Earth is where we make our stand. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the only home we've ever known." 

Websites like AdWeek and Entrepreneur mentioned Apples' thought provoking ad in various articles and applauded the companies portrayal of the natural beauty of the planet. The commercial gained attention from environmental organizations as its message increased social awareness of the issue to its viewers. The whole commercial can be seen below:

iPhone 8/X Craze

Apple is undoubtedly doing something right, and they have been for the last decade, maybe even two. For one company such as Apple to be able to completely have their own operating system and phone line (iOS and iPhone, respectively) to compete against another operating system that runs on hundreds of different brands of phones (Android, owned by Google, and Samsung, HTC, LG, OnePlus, respectively - just to name a few) is quite impressive. One thing many tech-junkies love to do is create mock-ups of what the latest tech will look like. For example, when the iPhone 6S was out, tech-junkies couldn't stop posting and wondering about what the iPhone 7 would look like and be like, along with iOS 10 when that was first in the works. Now, with iOS 11 in the near future, as well as the iPhone 8 or iPhone X most likely coming in late 2017, the iPhone 7 quickly got overshadowed the minute it was released. There are quite a few reasons for why the iPhone 7 was overshadowed. First, it is important to note that just because I'm calling this phone "overshadowed" does not mean it didn't sell well. Apple reportedly sold 78.3 million iPhone 7's and 7 Plus's (techcrunch.com). The reason it became overshadowed however was mostly because the iPhone to be released in 2017, speculated to be called either the iPhone 8 (in order with Apple's mobile naming scheme) or the iPhone X, is because it will be the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone debut in 2007 by the now-late Steve Jobs (RIP). This has many tech-junkies wetting the bed because Apple now needs to compete with Samsung's newly released Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus with Samsung's new Infinity Displays, pictured below. Now, Apple is under more pressure than ever. Their screen is said to be curved around the edges of the device and they are supposedly including dual cameras not just on the back of the phone, but the front as well for more Augmented Reality features. They will also attempt to include Touch ID (currently known as their home button finger print reader) into the display and completely get rid of any sort of home button. This is of course due to the fact that they wish to make the front of the phone practically all-display and no bezels. Phones have stopped becoming 'thinner' and have now started becoming more about battery life, features, cameras and screen size. Below are some images of concepts of what the iPhone 8/X could look like. So what do you think? No, they're not going to be bringing back the headphone jack anytime soon (sorry), but the concept images designers have been coming up with look incredible and almost make me not miss the headphone jack in my iPhone at all (said from a current iPhone 7 Plus user).

Hello From The Other Side

🎶 Hello, it's me 🎶 Just calling you from my iPhone. Although they're ubiquitous today, the iPhone was revolutionary when it made its debut.  So how exactly did Apple introduce the very first iPhone to the world? Let's take a look at this ad from early 2007:

Notice how many clips from popular movies and TV shows are brought in. These clips show the way telephones have evolved over decades, from a classic model in I Love Lucy to a late '90s/early '00s version in High Fidelity. Even animated telephones, such as the ones depicted in The Flintstones and The Incredibles, are brought into the ad. By rapidly showing all of these examples of people answering phones, Apple builds momentum to the present: the ad ends with an image of an iPhone.

The image is followed by the word "Hello" filling the screen in white letters on a black field, followed by the phrase "Coming in June" before the Apple logo closes the ad. Ending the ad with this sequence is reminiscent of movie trailer endings. It goes with the cinematic theme of the ad. This simple concept with grand scale underpinnings is what makes Apple's marketing endeavors so effective—the concepts easily appeal to any consumer, and the implications of the theme elevate the consumer's life to theatrical heights.