In any setting, let it by a job interview, a blind date, a dinner conference, or even passing by in a crowd of people, the first impression that you make to others is very important because it will set up in the other person’s eyes of what kind of person you are. Of coarse, companies are also aware of this phenomenon and they need advertisements that are memorable and stays in the consumers’ mind.

Wendy’s Blog on “Three Little Pigs” criticized the advertisement of The Guardian Newspaper and I would like to put my opinion here as well. Not only did the advertisement effectively communicated its efficiency and vast coverage, it also overthrown “The Three Little Pig” story’s impression in my mind. In this advertisement, the brave and quick-witted little pigs who got rid of the big bad wolf turned into murderers that wanted to escape the huge mortgage payments.

Like Wendy mentioned, “Starting from the wolf’s murder, the story creatively linked to issues such as homeowner’s rights, insurance fraud and mortgages, demonstrating the power of media and technology.” After watching this advertisement, viewers would have the urge to actually go on the website and see what other news are there. It effectively portrayed what people look for in a news article, which is the “undercover story”, or “what really happened?”

When fairytale was given a reality check, there was no happily ever after.

Within the next 24 hours, the hottest buzz around would be about “Samsung Galaxy SIV”. Less than a month ago, it was about “Blackberry Z10”. Then, most likely in the fall of this year, perhaps the “iPhone 5s/6” will take over. Technologies are improving fast, the demand for smartphones are increasing more than ever, all these suggest that the smartphone industry is still on the rise.

“Samsung became the smartphone leader worldwide more than a year ago, according to IDC” This phenomenon came relatively fast considering the smartphone industry. Two years ago, most people around me were using, or wanting, an iPhone. Now, the Samsung users are starting to surface. I think what brought Samsung to its current position cannot be separated from its marketing strategies and tactics.

Unlike Apple whose advertisements are focused on cleanliness and its features, Samsung is focused on how these features operate, especially when celebrities are holding them. From British football players to korean singers, Samsung recognized the power of fans going after what their idols uses.

The second point that I would like to make is Samsung’s pricing strategy. Apple’s iPhones use metal material, while Samsung’s Galaxys’ are plastic. Logically, Samsung should price their smartphones cheaper. Yet, on top of a less expensive price, Samsung did a great job of differentiating, which is a strategy for prestigious pricing. Their new products come out with innovative and interesting features. The balance of pricing and differentiating puts Samsung as the strongest competitor against Apple.

Wonder how the “eye scrolling” technology works..