As Apple and Samsung continue to duke it out in court over patent infringement, the battle is about to move to the airwaves as Apple is rumored to be busy courting major ad agencies to woe shoppers away from Samsung's Galaxy products.
Emails presented during the California patent case have revealed Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller's frustration over Apple's lack of "marketing savvy" and are fueling speculation that Apple's next ad campaign may have Samsung more squarely in its crosshairs.
In one particular email, Schiller was reacting to Samsung's pre-Super Bowl ads and wrote, "It's pretty good. I can't help but think 'these guys are feeling it'. While we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone... Something drastic has to change. Fast."
In another email presented in court, Schiller asks Apple CEO Tim Cook whether it may be time for Apple to look for a new ad agency. The company's current major ad agency is Media Arts Labs.
Samsung's "Next Big Thing" campaign has garnered major attention for its Galaxy line of products and in some of the more recent efforts the ads take dead aim at Apple, touting better pixel density in their display and referring to Apple products as "not the right little thingy."
While the ad campaign has won critical acclaim, perhaps of even greater value to Samsung is the media attention it has enjoyed for the sponsored and very high-profile celebrity selfies shot by Ellen DeGeneres at the Oscars and Red Sox star David Ortiz with President Obama.
It has been reported that the DeGeneres' selfie was worth close to $1 billion by the advertising group that claims to have handled the product placement. After DeGeneres tweeted the pic it was seen by more than 37 million people worldwide.
While Apple's recent "Your Verse" TV ads, with Robin Williams' dramatic narration, have also won critical acclaim, insiders feel they may not be resonating with the intended target audience. While it's been common for Apple to evoke emotion with its TV campaigns and stay away from taking jabs at the competition, the race for supremacy in the mobile gadget game is surely on and the gloves now appear to be off.
