Samsung takes a bite out of Apple

The Super Bowl – the sporting event where the advertisements are almost as anticipated as the game itself. Though the ads sometimes fall flat, the price of being in the limelight for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl is always insane. This year it would have costed you $3.5 million, the highest price in history. Though Samsung's ad for its' Galaxy Note was fun, vibrant and attention grabbing, the 90-second spot entitled 'Thing Called Love' mocked Apple and consumers of Apple products, gaining a bit of controversy.

Back in the day, Apple caused a bit of a commotion with their ad 'The Lemmings' for the release of Macintosh Office. The spot featured a depressing line of blind-folded business men following each other off a cliff, followed by the line "you can look into [Macintosh Office], or you can go on with business as usual". Apple was insulting the customers they were wanting to gain, which was a big no-no. So now that the tables have turned and Samsung are the ones mocking Apple, have they wasted their Super Bowl spot too? Take a look for yourself.

This ad plays on the fact that, these days, whatever product Apple releases next is going to be a huge hit and that their consumers are slaves to having the latest gadget. The Galaxy Note ad says you don't have to wait any longer – "the next big thing is already here." When the people in line catch wind of this new product, they can't contain their happiness (queue the bizarre, bright parade of rock stars and canon shooting that follows).

The Green Room Verdict: While Samsung's ad does make Apple consumers out to be lemmings at the start, their freedom to choose a new product does take a bit of the edge off the insult and injects a bit of light-hearted fun. The ad offers 'freedom' for those stuck waiting in line for the next big Apple thing (while Samsung is saying they've already got it), but we don't know if the Galaxy Note warrants such a shift in loyalty – it is a smartphone with a stylus, after all. With brand love as strong as Apple's, we're not sure if many will take the bait over the ability to use their phone with a stylus over a finger. Still, the ad gets away with it's cheeky prod at Apple… just.