Article
Consumers Choose Samsung Over Apple – Channel News
My Comments
Samsung are heading to a new “lifestyle brand” image based on the success of their Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 smartphones. Here, their marketing had been driven by the value-focused “more bang for the buck” philosophy.
Similarly the court of public opinion has headed towards Samsung’s favour even through the lawsuits that Apple has been taking out against this company. Even though a case that Samsung initiated against Apple went in Apple’s favour, Apple is still seen as a “bully” when it comes to the way they control their brand and product ecosystem.
But this direction could have some very interesting paths about. This could affect the price of the technology this company sells; or it could affect how the product range is evolved. For example, I would see the Samsung brand become very much like Sony where the name is driven by high-quality equipment that is core to one’s lifestyle.
Of course these factors such as the value-priced highly-functional products and the court of public opinion have helped Samsung to make sure that their brand will be considered highly valuable. Other factors such as Samsung using common standards like the microUSB connection on mobile phones and DLNA in network-capable AV equipment are also underscoring the concept of value for this brand.
Another issue that could be raised is the ability to make content part of the lifestyle equation. At the moment, Samsung have an alternate app store for their Galaxy Android phones and tablets, as well as an app framework for their smart TV ecosystem. The content issue may be about seeking partnerships with existing content studios, including games studios in order to resell the content through these frameworks.
Similarly, this could also be a chance for Samsung to build strong partnerships when it comes to designing or building the equipment concerned. This could include building a partnership with an “audio name of respect” like B&O, Bose or JBL to improve sound reproduction in computer and TV equipment like what has happened with many computer manufacturers. On the other hand, it could include them building Super OLED touchscreen displays for other manufacturers to use in their products’ user interfaces.
This could show that Korea could start to become like Japan as far as electronics goes where the focus is on high-grade technology rather than being consider second-fiddle to that country.
