Apple’s entry into foldables has given Samsung New Zealand a quick creative opening. The Galaxy maker’s latest social campaign stars a Palmerston North local named Tim Cook — not the Tim Cook who recently became Apple’s executive chairman, but a namesake who makes the wordplay hard to ignore.
Samsung New Zealand introduced the push with the line “Tim Cook has switched to Samsung,” then clarified that this Tim Cook is from Palmerston North. The work, credited to Madison Hill and Cheil New Zealand, promotes the Galaxy Z Fold8 and appeared around Apple’s September 9 unveiling of the iPhone Duo.
The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable iPhone, with a 5.4-inch outer display, a 7.6-inch inner display and pricing from US$1,999. For Samsung, which launched its first mass-market foldable in 2019, the launch brings a major rival into a category it has long led.
A namesake twist built for social
The campaign videos borrow visual cues from Apple’s product launch format, according to The Verge, with the Palmerston North Tim Cook appearing in promotional footage for the Galaxy Z Fold8. It is a deliberately reactive move: the videos landed while Apple’s iPhone Duo announcement was still drawing attention.
Shannon Watts of Samsung New Zealand said the company is seeing more New Zealand consumers switch to Samsung, though the campaign post did not include switch data. The message is less about volume and more about owning the cultural moment.
Apple’s leadership change adds another layer. Tim Cook became executive chairman of Apple’s board on September 1, while John Ternus moved into the chief executive role after leading hardware engineering. For Samsung, the name coincidence was ready-made creative material.
From New Zealand to global billboards
Samsung’s response was not limited to one local market. Reuters reported billboards in Seoul, Tokyo and London with messages such as “Welcome to Foldables” and “The World’s Lightest Fold.” On X, Samsung published reactive posts during Apple’s launch, including “reheating our leftovers” and “So far, so same.”
The brand also leaned on its longer history in the category, referencing a tri-fold device with the line about “folding 3 ways.” Counterpoint Research expects Samsung to hold 38% of the foldable smartphone market in 2026, with Apple projected at 25%. Liz Lee, associate director at Counterpoint Research, said Samsung is likely to feel the most visible share pressure but retains advantages from scale, experience and global distribution.
Other brands joined the moment too. Duolingo posted about Apple’s use of the “Duo” name, and Samsung Mobile US responded that Apple had copied Samsung as well. Motorola teased another passport-style Razr Fold shortly after the iPhone Duo reveal.
What marketers can learn
Samsung’s history of responding to Apple offers a useful case study in reactive brand building. The latest campaign is part of a pattern rather than a one-off. In 2022, Samsung’s “On the Fence” work used Apple’s absence from foldables. In May 2024, after Apple’s “Crush!” iPad Pro ad, Samsung quickly released “Creativity Cannot be Crushed” via BBH USA and filmmaker Zen Pace, running on social channels without paid media support.
For marketing teams, the takeaway is that quick-turnaround creative can work when it is:
- Timely: tied to a real launch window, not a dated reference.
- Recognisable: built on an easy-to-share cultural or naming hook.
- Brand-relevant: connected to Samsung’s foldable leadership story.
- Channel-native: made for social feeds and short attention spans.
The risk with reactive work is that it can feel cheap or opportunistic. Samsung’s version works because it has a credible product story, a long foldable track record and a consistent challenger voice against Apple.
Source: Marketing Tech News
