“Yeah, but they make the coolest adaptors.”
The Samsung kid from the first commercial is waiting in line this time.
“Welcome back,” says an Apple fan. “Guess that Galaxy S III didn’t work
out.”
“No, I love the GS III. It’s extremely awesome. I’m just saving a spot in
line for someone.”
A pair of stodgy old folks show up. The Samsung kid, it turns out, is
holding a place in line for his markedly uncool parents.
The Apple fans are deflated. The protagonist bids adieu, taking his
Samsung phone with him.
“The Next Big Thing Is Already Here,” reads the tagline.—
ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER, the U.S. division’s South Korean dispatcher (its
liaison with Samsung headquarters), a man named Ji, hurried into the
office, frantic and fearful. A plane full of auditors from Samsung
headquarters was on the way from Korea to go through the American
team’s books. They would land in a few hours.
“Help them and be open,” Ji said. He told his team to give them
“whatever they need.”
For three weeks, the American marketing team was forced to go
through their records, proving their successes.
“They were accused of bribing the media, falsifying sales, and a bunch
of other damaging claims that hurt morale in the office,” reported Business
Insider’s Steve Kovach. “The same US-based office that helped turn
Samsung into a brand as recognizable as Apple was suddenly being
punished for its work.”
This is our reward for success? Todd’s people wondered.
While his employees were distracted by the audits, Pendleton managed
to keep his head held high. For him, the audits weren’t something to fear.
Samsung’s headquarters just wanted to learn what his team was up to.
Employees claimed that it was his unrelenting optimism that was the magic
behind his success.
The auditors found nothing out of the ordinary. And the team’s feeling
of being under attack by South Korean headquarters had the unintended
consequence of strengthening the sense of unity among Pendleton’s high-