running around telling people about basic features on their Apple products
on an airplane, at someone’s front door, and on a city street. The spots were
called “embarrassing” by The Verge and so derided by loyal Apple
followers that Apple pulled them.
In 2013 Apple raised its U.S. mobile phone advertising budget from
$333 million the previous year to $351 million. (Samsung had a $401
million budget in 2012.) It brought its advertising work in-house and forced
its traditional outside agency to compete with Apple’s in-house talent.
As Apple struggled to get its mojo back, Samsung was already moving
forward with its next assault, this time in software.