Apple was asking for it this time. Samsung loves to poke fun at its Cupertino-based rival at any opportunity, so it shouldn't be surprising that it leaped at the chance afforded by the controversy over Apple's latest iPad Pro advert.
Apple's video showed a giant machine crushing musical instruments, camera lenses, paint pots and more to make the point that the new iPads can do a lot and are very thin. However, the dystopian atmosphere and wanton destruction of creative tools resulted in such a huge backlash that the company issued a rare apology for the marketing fail. Samsung wasn't going to let that opportunity pass (see our guide to the best iPad Pro M4 prices to learn more about Apple's new tablets).
Samsung responded with a video of its own. It shows a girl enter what appears to be the same torture chamber where Apple's massacre unfolded. She wanders through the destruction, rescues a trashed guitar and proceeds to play a song. The brand even tried to get a hashtag going: #UnCrush (see the original Apple ad below if you missed it).
Samsung has made poking fun at Apple a major pillar of its marketing strategy. This often involves pointing out that its US rival doesn't have a foldable phone, which is a strange obsession since foldables aren't exactly the most popular form factor for phones. This most recent jibe is easier to sympathise with since Apple really missed the mark with this one, but it's still a risky approach.
As we've seen with Burger King's constant attacks against McDonald's, negative advertising firmly puts a brand in challenger territory. It suggests the brand needs to criticise rivals rather than rely on the strengths of its own product. And like Burger King Vs McDonald's, it's always one way: Apple never takes the bait.
Unsurprisingly, some people were quick to call out Samsung's response. "And yet this is incredibly uncreative," one person replied to Samsung's claim that it "wouldn't crush creativity". "Samsung's inspiration lies in Apple's creativity," someone else wrote. Others have pointed out that the Apple ad wasn't exactly original in itself. It was pretty much a copy of this LG Renoir ad from 2008.
It's also been suggested that given the controversy around generative AI among creatives, it's a little ironic to criticise Apple for crushing creativity in a video that plugs the Galaxy Tab 9 S9 Series "with Galaxy AI". It's also been pointed out that presumably Samsung had to burn a guitar to make the ad, contradicting its whole claim.
If you are interested in what we think of Apple's latest tablets, see our hands-on look at the new iPad Pros. You can see the prices in your region below.
