Samsung’s ‘Next Big Thing’ Ads Consumed Apple SVP Phil Schiller

Apple’s head of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, became “obsessed” with Samsung’s “Next Big Thing” advertising campaign, at least according to Samsung’s lawyers, who will unveil internal documents to prove the superiority of the South Korean company’s ads, among other things, as the Samsung vs. Apple patent trial kicks off in California (via The Verge).

Apple v Samsung court

The “Next Big Thing” ads have become an essential factor in the South Korean tech giant’s success, as they have sparked conversation, Samsung’s chief marketing officer, Arno Lenoir, revealed to AdAge last year.

“We will show you internal Apple documents, documents that haven’t been made public before, and showed how Apple was really concerned about competition from Android, and in particular Samsung,” John Quinn of law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which is representing Samsung in the trial, told an eight-person jury. “This new, edgy marketing strategy … it drove Apple crazy.”

As it turns out, the “conversation” wasn’t just among the consumers, but it also reached Apple’s board, and Phil Schiller even suggested that Tim Cook look for another ad agency instead of the company’s longstanding partner, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY.

A study has put Samsung’s and Apple’s ads side by side, confirming that Apple’s scores have “dropped like a rock,” so “Has Apple lost its cool to Samsung?” was a timely question. Back then, Bloomberg even cited Apple’s old partner, Media Arts Lab, which apparently was frustrated when Phil Schiller presented his ideas, as they had lost focus.

Schiller will stand in the witness box as the tech giants continue their patent litigation in court over the course of this month. Apple is asking for $2 billion in damages, while Samsung wants more than $6.9 million.

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