Tag Archives: samsung

Samsung customers secure exclusive Jay-Z album before release

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One million owners of the Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II will get exclusive access to the album first on July 4, and it will be free. The only catch is the Samsung users as long as they upload an app associated with the album on June 24.

Rapper Jay-Z surprised fans Sunday night in a Samsung commercial that aired during an NBA game by announcing a new album called Magna Carta Holy Grail.

Samsung also sent the below picture to varies media outlets on Sunday.

Image: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Music and unique, targeted content better than sex for 18-29s

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Opportunities for brands targeting the Australian youth market have been given a comprehensive insight into the motivations of 1900 young people aged between 18 and 29 courtesy of the latest study by youth publisher and marketing agency Sound Alliance.

The research piece titled ‘Where Have All the Rebels Gone?’ includes results showing that an overwhelming 80% are still searching for a passion or purpose in life, and the answers were definitive that social media is used almost exclusively as a primary news source.

“The desire for a passion is unmistakably there, so brands that are able to support and nurture this yearning among Australian youth will be set up for longer term success,” says Sound Alliance CEO Neil Ackland.

Facebook appears to be out of favour to an extent with brands like Apple, Red Bull, Samsung and Rekorderlig, the Swedish cider gaining some interest thanks to the innovative approach of both in appealing to this demographic.

Music still dominates this age brackets’ daily interest, with those polled interestingly ranking tunes as being more important than relationships and sex.

The survey also revealed that today’s youth have grown tired of bombarding marketing messages and need to be spoken to in a more direct manner.

Content is king in their world, so advertising needs to avoid the traditional path, remain relevant and interesting and be unique. Putting a value on quality above other brand attributes was another thing youth demands.

“Quality or the perception of quality is pivotal to the success of your brand. In fact a big problem for brands is that history and authenticity carry little weight with youth,” says Ackland, before adding.

“Something new can be just as good as something old. Success doesn’t hinge on how long you’ve been around or where you came from, but what you do right now,” he admits.

Other key findings with clear implications for marketers included a, “distinct lack of materialism” (93% value experiences over possessions) and despite interest reported to be waning, 93% still use Facebook every day.

The survey also discovered that a third of the youth market (33%) were prone to tipping some of their money into savings.

 

The Opera House and Samsung announce three-year partnership

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Samsung and the Sydney Opera House have entered into a three-year partnership that will see Samsung as the tourist attraction’s official partner. The multi-million dollar deal will see Samsung become the Opera House’s first official ‘principal partner’ and is set to be the biggest arts sponsorship in Samsung Australia’s history. Samsung will also provide technological support as part of the deal.

“The potential audience for all the Opera House’s incredible work is every Australian in the country. We want to help make this a reality. At Samsung we passionately believe technology can better people’s lives, and bringing the Opera House’s best-in-class arts and education content to more Australians than ever is our ultimate goal with this sponsorship,” says Samsung electronics Australia marketing director, Arno Lenior.

As part of the launch Samsung is ‘handing the Opera House sails over to the public for the first time’ giving the public the opportunity to submit photos that will be projected onto the sails of the Opera House the night of the launch on 23 April, transforming the Opera House sails into a ‘portrait of this country and its people’.The launch of the new partnership will  coincide with the launch of Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 device.

Sydney Opera House CEO, Louise Herron says of the deal, “The partnership is in every sense about the next generation of the Opera House. It is our mission to welcome, engage and inspire people through the quality, breadth and ambition of what we offer. I am thrilled that on the eve of our 40th anniversary in October, Samsung, a leading international brand which shares our focus on creativity, excellence and innovation, has partnered with us to enhance people’s experiences of the Opera House and to help us cater to new generations of visitors through new generations of technology.”

 

Pepsi dominates YouTube ad leader board

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YouTube’s ad leaderboard for March has seen Pepsi rein supreme, garnering over 33 million views for its spoof video ‘Pepsi Max & Jeff Gordon Present: Test Drive,’ since it was uploaded at the beginning of March.  

The latest branded content offering from Pepsi sees professional racing car driver Jeff Gordon disguise himself as an ‘average Joe’ and test drive a sports car with an ‘unsuspecting’ car salesman clinging on for his life in the front seat.

The ad has earned 13 million more views than the 2012 top performer, Nike’s ‘My Time Is Now.’

Second on the leader board is Samsung’s new ad launching the Galaxy S4 launch, receiving over eight million views. Samsung has appeared on the list twice, also holding sixth place for its ‘Be ready for the next galaxy (part two)’ video.

Interestingly, the majority of the most clicked ads for the month of March were fairly lengthy, with not one being under 30 seconds. Pepsi’s ‘Drive’ went for a total of 3:46.

 Full List of top ten videos:

1. Pepsi ‘Pepsi Max & Jeff Gordon Present: Test Drive’

2. Samsung Mobile ‘Introducing Samsung Galaxy S4′

3. EASports ‘Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14: The Rumble’

4. Adidas Originals ‘Unite All Originals’

5. ConAgra Foods ‘Discover the Future of Frozen Foods’

6. Samsung Mobile ‘Samsung UNPACKED’

7. Chevrolet ‘Find New Roads: Theophilus London Chevy Sonic Milk Run’

8. ESPN ‘Kid President NCAA Tournament Bracket 2013′

9. ADLNational ‘Imagine a World Without Hate’

10. Doritos ‘Now or Never SXSW 2013′


Samsung confirms new smartwatch is in the works

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Hot on the heels of speculation that Apple is developing a smartwatch, Samsung confirmed reports that it too is preparing a connected wristwatch, probably under the Galaxy brand.

“We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” Lee Young Hee, executive VP of Samsung’s mobile business, told Bloomberg during an interview in Seoul. “We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them,” he added.

The Samsung executive was coy about giving out details on the upcoming smartwatch functionality, including how much it would cost or when it will be available to buy. However, a ‘source with direct knowledge’ quoted by Reuters claims the smart wristwatch will perform many tasks of a smartphone.

Samsung’s acknowledgement gives credence to images posted in February on a South Korean message board, which purportedly show the interface of the smartwatch.

The images indicate the device would be called the Galaxy Altius, with features such as a clock, music player, maps, and an email client. It apparently runs on a customised version of Android, like the rest of the Samsung Galaxy devices line.

Although the Galaxy Altius would not be first smartwatch from Samsung, the timing of the new product confirmation is peculiar. Last month, the New York Times and Bloomberg reported that Apple has a team of around 100 engineers and product designers working on a smartwatch that would have some iPhone and iPad functionality, which they suggested means this development is beyond the experimentation project. As usual, Apple did not confirm the reports.

Samsung’s smartwatch history

Samsung has been working on smartwatches for over a decade, and has some patents dating back to 2003 on some designs, as UnwiredReview points out. (The image at the top of this story is the Samsung Proximo concept smartwatch from 2009 by Joahn Loekito.) However, none of the models were particularly successful. So it will be interesting to see whether Samsung will wait for Apple to release a smartwatch first before unveiling its own model – if Apple actually releases such a device.

Perhaps this year would be the year when wearable tech will become mainstream. Aside from Samsung and Apple’s wrist wear, Google is also finalising its Glass connected eye wear, and we have seen quasi-popular smartwatch examples from the likes of the Kickstarter-founded Pebble, which shipped some 25,000 units so far.

With Daniel Ionescu of TechHive and Macworld.

Yahoo!7 and Samsung announce Australian content partnership

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With the union between the brands announced today, a range of new Yahoo!7 services and premium content will be available to the millions of Australians who own Samsung  smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, home theatre systems, and Blu-ray players.

To strengthen the union, Yahoo!7 will launch its leading Plus7 catch-up TV service as an application on a number of Samsung mobile devices, including compatible Galaxy smartphones and tablets through the Samsung Apps store.

This is seen as a first for a Plus7 app, as it marks its maiden tour on any mobile device or tablet, joining Yahoo!7’s Fango, 7News and TV Guide in Samsung Apps.

Joshua Martin, head of strategic integration, Yahoo!7, explains: “This partnership represents a significant integrated content distribution, technology and commercial deal that allows Samsung and Yahoo!7 to deliver more of what Australians want.”

The ability for users to be able to watch content whenever and whenever, plus increased advertising opportunities is the main advantage of the partnership, as Kurt Burnett, chief sales and digital officer Seven Network tells: “We’re excited about the opportunity this will give to not only consumers of our content but also our advertising partners.”

Arno Lenior, marketing director, corporate, Samsung Electronics Australia, agrees saying, “We are committed to offering Australian consumers access to a range of exciting and engaging content so that they get the most from their devices and an exceptional entertainment experience”.

 

Watershed moment for mobile payments: Visa and Samsung ink global NFC deal

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Visa and Samsung have formed a global alliance to turn smartphones into credit cards in a move that could prove a major step in taking the digital wallet into the mainstream.

Announcing the partnership overnight at the Mobile World Congress, the tie-up will see a Visa payWave application embedded into all next-generation Samsung NFC smartphones.

The trust the Visa name brings to the mix will be a telling factor in the development of mobile payments, consumer analyst at Ovum, Eden Zoller, believes.

“It’s a significant agreement that could give NFC a much-needed boost, given that Visa is a trusted payment brand, while Samsung is the top smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipments and a driving force behind the increasingly popular Android device platform.”

Visa will power the secure element in the phones, giving users the assurance of its Mobile Provisioning Service and secure upload of payment account information. Banks and other payment processors will be able to develop their own apps that work with the secure element.

Google’s move into the space with Google Wallet has struggled to gain traction in the absence of existing payment infrastructure and relationships with banks and carriers.

Mariano Dima, executive vice president, Visa Europe, says the payment provider is delighted to build on its long-standing relationship with Samsung, which included a trial of the system during the London Olympics. “A Samsung device equipped with the Visa contactless payment service is a powerful proposition and will allow us to make mobile payments a reality for people around the world,” Dima believes.

The partnership with Visa continues Samsung’s commitment to pioneering NFC (near-field communications), Dr Won-Pyo Hong, president and head of media solution centre at Samsung adds. “We believe that we have a strong value proposition for financial institutions that will ultimately allow consumer choice in NFC payments.”

The move is expected to bring more financial institutions onboard as they can use Visa’s Mobile Provisioning Service to securely upload customers’ payment account information onto NFC-enabled Samsung phones.

“Both Samsung and Visa are committed to NFC and we would expect them to put effort and marketing muscle behind making consumers aware of the potential benefits that NFC payments can bring,” Zoller predicts.

“This is desperately needed as for most consumers, mobile payments – let alone NFC – is simply not on their radar.”

Ovum’s latest Consumer Insights survey found mobile commerce related applications remained limited in their use. Visa data shows a four-fold increase in contactless payments over the past year globally with around 13 million transactions made on its network per month.

Mashable’s Christina Warren receives a demonstration of the system at Mobile World Congress in the video below:

 

 

Sodastream fridges on the way in Samsung NPD tie-up

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A renewed innovation push from 110-year old company Sodastream will see it co-release a sparkling water dispensing fridge with Samsung this year.

The company, which burst back onto the scene in November with heavy promotion of its redesigned fizzy drink makers, is taking innovation a step further in its bid to move carbonated water production into the home.

Using the water and ice control panel common on two- and four-door fridges, owners can select up to three levels of carbonation for sparkling water, fuelled by a Sodatream cylinder that rests inside the fridge door.

Sodastream calls the product a key milestone in its vision for convenient homemade carbonated beverages without the clutter and waste produced by the pre-packaged beverage industry.

The idea stems from the company’s innovation focus and partnering with the right people, marketing director of Sodastream Australia, Laura Wilson, says. “This stems from our vision to continue to innovate our product – not just the system on the countertop – but how else can we innovate and move it to the next level,” Wilson says. “The alliance with Samsung is one way of doing that, you’ll see more in the coming years.”

The fridge aims to provide convenience for people who already like making their own sparkling water, by taking the dispenser to the next level and giving people sparkling water without the need for a stand-alone unit.

“It’s not just meeting consumer needs but anticipating the future of those consumers,” Wilson adds. “There is an eco story behind it too – if sparkling water is coming straight out of your fridge you’re not buying bottles from the shop and throwing them away.”

The Samsung branded four-door refrigerator will be launch in Australia behind other international markets, but no release date has been announced.

Sodastream was voted one of the world’s top 50 most innovative companies by FastCompany last March.

 

Samsung mocks Apple Maps in Australian Galaxy S3 stunt

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Samsung has come up with a new promotion for its Galaxy S3 smartphone that targets Apple’s Maps following errors in the service that came to light in Australia this week.

Australian police recently warned drivers not to rely on Apple’s Maps, which replaced Google Maps in iOS 6 in September, after several motorists found themselves lost in the middle of Murray Sunset National Park when following directions to Mildura, Victoria.

Rival Samsung, who has been known to mock Apple in its ad campaigns in the past, has taken advantage of the situation to promote the navigation software on its Galaxy S3.

The South Korean tech giant parked an abandoned, muddy SUV overloaded with camping gear in Sydney’s Australia Square, and a VW Van with surf boards piled high on the roof in Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, both alongside a sign that reads, “Oops, should have got Samsung Galaxy SIII. Get navigation you can trust.”

Images via Android Authority

It’s not just Apple who has come under fire for its Australian maps this week, however. Yesterday, a second warning was issued by Australian police, who say that an error in Google Maps caused near-death accidents for motorists in Colac, Victoria.

Google launched its Google Maps app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch last week, a welcome addition to Apple’s App Store following the poor quality of Apple Maps that led CEO Tim Cook to publicly apologise little more than a week after its launch, and admit “we screwed up”.

With Macworld.

iPhone 5 fails to woo new Apple customers, Android retains lead

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Apple’s iPhone 5 has largely failed to woo new customers to the brand, taking the majority of its sales from existing iPhone owners to leave Android as the most-owned operating system in Australia.

Since overtaking Apple’s iOS as the most common smartphone operating system in July, Google’s Android has continued to pull ahead, despite September’s launch of the iPhone 5.

While the new iPhone’s release managed to boost iOS’ share of sales back up to equal with the combined sales of Android-based devices – a position it hasn’t occupied since December last year – it is yet to have an impact on the overall share of smartphone ownership in Apple’s favour.

Data from Kantar WorldPanel’s ComTech study of 10,000 Australian mobile phone owners, released exclusively to Marketing, shows that, as of the end of October, Android commanded 40% of smartphone market share compared to iOS’ 38%. In the month of October, the iPhone 5 accounted for 32% of smartphone sales, well above the 20% enjoyed by Samsung’s flagship model the Galaxy S3 at its peak in August. In October, the S3’s share of sales dipped to 11%, while in total Samsung’s extended stable of handsets accounted for 29% of smartphone sales.

Share of smartphone sales

Note: Samsung figures are a sub-set of the overall Android figures.

Kantar found the recent growth in Apple purchasing has caused little to no change to Apple’s share of smartphone ownership levels, with almost 80% of iPhone users who upgraded in October buying another iPhone. Strategic insights director at the research group, Tamsin Timpson, says Apple is not attracting new customers to the same extent as Samsung.

“It seems people want something a bit different,” Timpson says. “The image of the Apple brand is still very strong, and that comes through in the loyalty figures, but there’s definitely a group of people out there that want something different.”

That group is more likely to be and older and male than the iPhone buyer, according to the data, which shows the Galaxy S3 owner significantly more likely to be male and over 34 years of age.

“When there is a new iPhone launch, the profile of its owners becomes younger and more female dominated each time,” Timpson adds.

Cost is also a factor for many late adopters of smartphones, making the range of cheaper, pre-paid Android models more attractive to new customers.

While the larger screen of the S3 is seeing an Android-based handset eclipse the iPhone for usage of the mobile web, photos, gaming and other features suited to the big screen for the first time, the iPhone continues to outstrip its rival when it comes to other high-use smartphone functions.

The heavy use of these features such as social networking and shopping on the iPhone is driven by the younger, more female owner base, which Timpson believes prefer Apple’s sleek, fashionable design and brand image. “It’s a fashion thing… the features that are more mainstream, such as social networking or shopping, tend to over-index on the iPhone, while the lower penetration usage functions, such as mobile TV, over-index for the more male Samsung audience.”

However, despite ceding ground in the content battle, the iPhone still reigns supreme when it comes to value to manufacturer and telecommunications carriers, and loyalty. iPhone 5 owners spend slightly more on contracts per month – $69.16 compared to $63.56 for S3 owners – and far more on apps per month – $2.78 on average compared to $0.44 for S3 owners. Over the course of a two-year contract, this equates to around $134 more for service plans and about $56 more through app stores per user.

Loyalty to the Samsung brand languished at 50% in October compared to the 80% repurchase rate enjoyed by the iPhone. But for those who switch away from an iPhone, Samsung is the preferred choice, setting up a rivalary between the two brands that looks set to intensify.

Motorola latest rival to mock Apple with #iLost ad

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Motorola Mobility, a division of Google, has joined the fray of smartphone makers taking aim at Apple with an ad that mocks the troubled Apple Maps application.

The app, which replaced Google’s Maps app in last Thursday’s release of iOS 6, has come under fire for showing points of interest in the wrong place, providing dodgy directions, its poor quality satellite images and having poor coverage outside major cities.

Following in Samsung’s and Nokia’s footsteps, both of whom have have used satirical video ads to take on Apple and the iPhone 5, Motorola released an ad that compares Google Maps on its Droid Razr M with Apple’s version on an iPhone 5, labelling Apple’s as ‘#iLost’.

ilost

The ad, first posted Friday on Google +, was accompanied by the text, “Looking for 315 E 15th in Manhattan? Google Maps on Droid Razr M will get your there and not #iLost in Brooklyn.”

Other examples of problems with Apple Maps have included an extra airfield for Dublin, problems with various place names, and Sydney’s flagship George Street store appearing on the wrong side of the road.

An Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD on Friday that the map service was launched with the knowledge that “it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it… We are continually improving it and as is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get… We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

The #iLost hashtag appears to be gaining traction with a number of satirical posts on cropping up on Google+, including one with a car smashing through a crowd of bicyclists and a meme of actor Tom Hanks marooned in the film Castaway after trying to use the app accompanied by #iLost.

With Macworld.

 

Samsung hits back at Apple with ‘It doesn’t take a genius’ ad

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Samsung has hit back at rival Apple taking aim at the iPhone 5 in an ad that carries the message ‘It doesn’t take a genius’.

As well as taking a jab at Apple’s ‘genius bar’ retail help desk, and potentially founder Steve Jobs, the ad suggests that the decision between the two devices isn’t rocket science.

The ad which ran in US newspapers over the weekend pits the specifications of the recently released iPhone against the Galaxy S III. The list compares a number of common features, pointing out areas where the Galaxy matches or surpasses the iPhone, like its larger and higher resolution screen, greater battery life and extra RAM. Samsung has listed a host of additional features making the list of specs for its phone look much longer than Apple’s.

It also points out the lack of near-field communications (NFC) technology in the iPhone, which can be used for mobile payments as well as a wave for more information tool on products. In addition, the ad pokes fun at the new ‘Lightning’ plug introduced in this iteration of the iPhone, which has drawn criticism for forcing past iPhone owners to upgrade their docking equipment.

Samsung recently lost a court battle to Apple over patents, and was ordered to pay $1 billion in infringement costs.

 

Nokia has joined Samsung in attacking their competitor on this very point, with a tweet from Nokia’s official Twitter account on Friday night (US time) using almost exactly the same sentence. It seems great (but not genius) minds, as they say, think alike:

Nokia iphone samsung genius