{"id":100,"date":"2013-10-07T00:46:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-07T00:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.appleoutsider.com\/?p=100"},"modified":"2020-08-07T03:20:45","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T03:20:45","slug":"gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.appleoutsider.com\/2013\/10\/07\/gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung\u2019s new Galaxy Gear ad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A month after announcing it, Samsung has begun advertising its Galaxy Gear \u201csmartwatch\u201d on television.\u00a0The first ad<\/a>\u00a0features clips from various movies and TV shows of people talking into and tinkering with\u00a0watches that were more than just watches. It concludes with a shot of someone using a Galaxy Gear. The implication was that we now finally live in the future, thanks to Samsung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many<\/a>\u00a0people<\/a>\u00a0immediately noted that the ad was reminiscent of\u00a0Apple\u2019s original 2007 ad for the iPhone<\/a>, titled simply \u201cHello.\u201d\u00a0The easy thing to say here is that this is just another instance of Samsung aping Apple. It\u2019s a reasonable charge, but it\u2019s also lazy.\u00a0\u00a0These ads are alike in appearance and nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, it\u2019s only fair to point out that the \u201cHello\u201d ad is not typical Apple advertising. Apple\u2019s ads are historically plain, to the point, and focused entirely around the product itself. In \u201cHello\u201d, we see the product for a split second, after a barrage of licensed content with no connection to Apple or Apple products. There\u2019s a reason for that departure, which also must be noted, because Samsung clearly did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cHello\u201d ad worked on a number of levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The message behind \u201cHello\u201d, and its distinction from the usual Apple product advertisements, was and still is clear: You are not ready for this, so we need to formally introduce you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The iPhone dramatically tore down our understanding of everything that preceded it: phones; computers; software; the Internet; how we consume information; how we communicate; how we are (not) beholden to gigantic infrastructure companies that basically hate us. It\u2019s all done differently now. The Way Things Are was about to become The Way Things Were. So, \u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n