"Tim Cook Has Switched to a Galaxy Phone"... Samsung Takes a Jab at Apple's Foldable

Witty Marketing Features a New Zealand Namesake

Samsung’s Foldable Phone “Diss Marketing” Draws Online Buzz

Samsung Electronics launched a clever promotional campaign targeting Apple’s first foldable iPhone by featuring the name of former Apple CEO Tim Cook.

On the 11th (local time), the official Instagram account of Samsung Mobile New Zealand posted a photo of a man holding the Galaxy Z Fold8. At the center of the photo, the prominent text "Tim Cook" was displayed. Samsung Electronics New Zealand captioned the image, "Big news. Tim Cook has switched to a Galaxy phone," adding, "Yes, that Tim Cook. Tim Cook from Palmerston North." They followed up with, "Why? Which Tim Cook were you thinking of?"

The man in the photo was an ordinary New Zealander named Tim Cook from Palmerston North, dressed up to look like Apple’s former CEO Tim Cook. By using the recognizable CEO name only to reveal a namesake twist, Samsung delivered a witty promotional message.

This post appears to be a continuation of Samsung Electronics’ ongoing online sparring with Apple, following the announcement of Apple’s first foldable iPhone.

On September 9 (local time), at a new product launch event held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the "iPhone Duo." Samsung Electronics had already introduced its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, ahead of Apple, and in July of this year, it unveiled several new foldables: Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra, and Z Flip8.

Ahead of Apple’s folding phone launch, Samsung Electronics also posted on its official US X (formerly Twitter) account: "You’re making us wait? Fine, we’ll just fold here three times," taking a playful jab at Apple. In fact, last December, Samsung Electronics introduced the Galaxy Z Trifold, which folds the display twice to make three panels, thus expanding its form factor lineup.

The official Samsung Electronics Myanmar account uploaded a video showing a Galaxy foldable phone being repeatedly opened and closed, resembling clapping hands. In the background appeared baby items such as a baby blanket and bottle designed like an Apple Duo smartphone, along with the phrase, "Welcome to foldables." In essence, the already launched Samsung foldable phone was giving a round of applause to the newly born iPhone Duo.

Additionally, after Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, Samsung posted, "Let us know when you’re done reheating our leftovers," emphasizing that Apple’s foldable technology was something Samsung Electronics had already introduced. Furthermore, Samsung tagged the Duolingo (a language learning app) account regarding the "Duo" name, and commented, "Sorry, Duolingo. They copied ours too," which garnered positive reactions from online users.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.