Samsung Galaxy Ad Misleads With Fake Interviews 224
unassimilatible writes "A Samsung ad campaign for the latest Galaxy Tab is misleading, to say the least. Actors pretending to be real people in fake interviews in a fake magazine misquoting a bad first-gen Galaxy tab review, are exposed — by the actual review writer. Netizens 'are having fun pointing out other curious things about the interviews, such as the fact that "leading New York real-estate CEO Joseph Kolinski" raves about the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab even though the only 8.9-inch Tabs that Samsung itself had on hand at CTIA were non-working models.' Kolinski is actually an actor, not a CEO, Jim."
Double Post? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Double Post? (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry, it's all my fault. I think the editor read this comment [slashdot.org] I made and took it seriously. My bad.
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Modded your comment up. Thanks for the reference.
(And they say there's no way to both post and moderate in the same story! Hogwash.)
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Alternate accounts.
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All of you fail.
The comment I modded up was part of the previous story. The comment I replied to was beneath this newer dupe.
Context, FTW.
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Are you the one who caused all the dupes? ;)
Oh, samzenpus... (Score:5, Funny)
Rob Rozeboom dupe dee dup. [slashdot.org]
Dupe dee dupedee dupe dup. Until one day, da dupe dupe-e dupe dupe.
Dupe da ddupe got teetley dumb.
From the creators of 'dup' and 'tum ta tittaly tum ta too', Rob Rozeboom is: 'Da dupe dee dupe da teeley dupe-e dupe dumb'.
Rated PG-13.
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We call that a dupe.
quick! he's not using the terminology i use, tell him he must be new!
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Pah! The last dupe I saw wasn't a functioning model, so it doesn't count.
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What does that make me?
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Does a cat count as someone?
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Cats are the ONLY ones that count as someone. In their world view, you exist merely to operate a can opener.
As soon as a reliable can-opening robot is developed, we will be unnecessary.
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Not quite. Until the cat-operated remotely-operated opposable thumb device is complete, humans will also be needed to open doors, change TV channels and write lolcat captions. Cats have progressed on the last of those, with the new plug-in for speech recognition devices, but it is limited to the Breaking News section at present.
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Galaxy Quest? Is that another Samsung device?
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Horatio says... (Score:3, Funny)
The odds of the Galaxy interviews being genuine... *sunglasses* ...are astronomical.
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
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Are those the Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses?
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No, they are "just to add another difference to this CSI show in case the totally different location and actors aren't clue enough" sunglasses.
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Damn. Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses would make the fight scenes more interesting than usual.
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Indeed... *puts on sunglasses*... they would.
If willing suspension of disbelief works... (Score:2)
...for movies and stories, why not for ads?
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Re:If willing suspension of disbelief works... (Score:5, Funny)
Wait... are you saying Skittles don't come from rainbows?!
Bastards!
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Wait... are you saying Skittles don't come from rainbows?! Bastards!
Next thing you know, we'll find out that Cheetos don't come from cheese.
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I sprayed a whole can of deoderant into my armpits today, but somehow the girls don't come quite as close as the commercials promise.
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Because ads are not intended as entertainment,
What utopian world did you just come from? This ad campaign [adsoftheworld.com] by VW was more entertaining than 99% of the shows on TV, then and now.
FYI I have never worked for or owned a VW product.
Re:If willing suspension of disbelief works... (Score:4, Insightful)
Similarly: Nigerian spam messages are usually funny, but their purpose is to scam people.
Re:If willing suspension of disbelief works... (Score:4, Insightful)
Similarly: Nigerian spam messages are usually funny, but their purpose is to scam people.
Not quite. The 419ers aren't trying to be funny or entertaining ... they're intended to be taken seriously (and by the people that fall for them, they are.) That the rest of us find them hilarious is irrelevant.
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Sorry, I think you're confusing the purpose of the ad with its form.
Being entertaining is the form, but entertainment is not the purpose: The
purpose is to convince people to buy VW cars, and that's propaganda.
I don't think it's as simple as that. What about Star Wars? Is that entertainment or propaganda? The franchise has certainly grossed more money from the merchandise than the movies. Which is probably the case for many movies that are geared toward kids.
From a marketer's perspective a television show itself is just one big vehicle for advertising. You even have product placement in the show and movies themselves. Really if you boil it down, it's all about making money in the end anyhow.
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Re:If willing suspension of disbelief works... (Score:5, Insightful)
So what's your beef? You want to pretend such psychological tricks aren't evil because you're bored of someone pointing out the obvious? Or maybe you're just a troll who likes to be contrarian?
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What I don't understand is how anyone can be positively influenced by a drug ad that has some dude rapidly saying (so that you hopefully won't understand the individual words) all the negative consequences. My final impression is "This can kill me. Maybe the cure is worse than the disease?"
Or the ones that go "At this price, they won't last long!" So that means what, that it's so cheap it'll fall apart first time I use it?
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Or the ones that go "At this price, they won't last long!" So that means what, that it's so cheap it'll fall apart first time I use it?
You do realise that the phrase means they won't last long on the shop's shelves, because everyone will want to buy one and take it away? Don't you?
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Or the ones that go "At this price, they won't last long!" So that means what, that it's so cheap it'll fall apart first time I use it?
You do realise that the phrase means they won't last long on the shop's shelves, because everyone will want to buy one and take it away? Don't you?
And yet, isn't it curious how my interpretation is often closer to the end result? :-)
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"Because ads are not intended as entertainment, but rather as propaganda. People know this, and take a dim view to being brazenly lied to."
Do you really think all those folks in the pharm-biz ads are real people with real heart disease, bad sinus problems, bad hearts, etc, etc? Do you really believe those people in those ads wearing white coats are real doctors.
If those ads claim these are actual patients with actual health problems or actual MDs, with actual names and actual professions other than "actor in a pharma commercial" - they fucking better be.
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...for movies and stories, why not for ads?
Why not for the truth?
Caveat Emptor
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There is no advantage in disbelieving reality
Well, if reality really sucks, there can be. See Pan's Labyrinth or Life is Beautiful for examples. Or people abusing strong hallucinogens.
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Cuz to imagine having the world end in a disaster in 2012 sounds interesting and entertaining, but having to imagine that people actually like Android tablets is more sad than anything else.
New info about Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 (Score:5, Funny)
This Slashdot story is now out of date! I have NEW INFORMATION!
I just found out that the people in those GALAXY TAB ads... are ACTORS! That's right! You heard it here first!
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Not a dupe. (Score:4, Informative)
well Apple ads claimed this guy was a pc... (Score:4, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hodgman [wikipedia.org]
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Whoosh?
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It's pretty obvious that anyone who appears in these promotions is rewarded for it, whether it is because they're an actor, or a normal user.
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Yes: Apple is an American electronics hardware company or a British music label, and Orange is a British telephone operator.
also (Score:5, Funny)
Happy smily kids eating at Mickey D are, in truth, a bunch of bratty whiners.
Continental doesn't really Love to Fly, they much prefer counting their money while laughing at stranded customers
Dell never really cared about customer satisfaction, but, at best, about being a bit less unsatisfactory than the competition, and cheaper.
and
No, we can't. Not really.
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When my kids came home from elementary school lauding the coming of Obama (apparently most of the teachers thought he was The One and gave every impression of that to the kids) I asked them this question:
"How can you tell if a politician is lying?"
Being of a young and impressionable age, they didn't know. The answer, of course, is "His/her lips are moving!" When I told them this, they indignantly told me that Obama wasn't lying. I asked them how they knew - and they got very thoughtful. The same pr
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As has been done for decades (Score:2)
What world are you living in?
I posted this in the last story on this too... (Score:3)
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Or for UK readers, Mitchell and Webb?
Oh no... (Score:2)
Surprising... (Score:3)
How can you tell that a marketing guy is omitting important information? His lips aren't moving.
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You should also check their hands. Some of them might be mutes.
Um. Business as usual? Or didn't you know? (Score:3, Insightful)
Do people still honestly believe that commercials/advertisements/testimonials portraying consumers offering their opinions on the product are genuine?
This is business as usual. I would wager a guess at 95% of all commercials don't use genuine consumers. The remaining 5% (Vonage for example) have that little notice at the bottom that says something to the effect of "We offered them products and services for their endorsement in this commercial."
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Re:Um. Business as usual? Or didn't you know? (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a HUGE difference.
Ads with fake customers/doctors/specialists on it don't tell you at any time that those are REAL. They don't tell you that they are fake, either.
If anybody asks, then they'll tell you, sure, they are actors. Some people do realize that fact, most don't, but even if you do realize it's fake, it still sort of works at a subconscious level.
In the Galaxy 2 presentation, Samsung's engineers say "It's good to see this REAL LIFE experiences", etc, etc. (Emphasis is NOT mine, they actually put the emphasis on the word REAL) ... several times. Now, in most cases they just let you assume that they are real customers, in this case, they are lying to you.
For example, Chinese manufacturers put "3G support" on most of their tablets. If you ask, they'll tell you that it "Supports external 3G". That is, you can connect a modem to it through USB and it'll work. Same thing for GPS support. Now, sure, it's not honest, but it's not as bad as if they were telling you "Internal 3G, just insert your sim card", and it didn't have internal 3G at all.
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Yes it's a wonderful device and oh I'm really so much more productive now and it gives me more time with the kids and I whip it out in restaurants to email the presentation to the boss before enjoying
Nothing New (Score:2)
That's horrible. (Score:3)
It impedes upon my ability to believe everything that I hear without doing any actual research about it myself! Ban it immediately!
This is news? (Score:2)
Really? Hands up if you're actually surprised that they use actors in advertisements. Jeez, people were you born yesterday? Newsflash! Everything in advertising is a lie designed to get you to buy a product you don't need. I thought parents taught this shit to kids when they start watching TV...
It's worse in Japan... (Score:2)
In DOCOMO commercials in Japan, the actual Galaxy Tab pretends to be Ken Watanabe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y8fjslHJuk [youtube.com]
Maybe they have another job. (Score:2)
Look at reality TV shows. Where do you think they find people who are so eager to put themselves out there? Casting studios are a good bet. Of course, on the TV show, they'll pick a job other than "actor" when they say what they do.
So, perhaps Mr. Kolinski does run a small real estate firm on the side. Perhaps Joan Hess does write about travel. She's certainly presented a travel related TV show.
Reminds me of that PBS News Hour caper (Score:2)
I was interested
Re:Let the Android fanboys (Score:4, Funny)
Apple sucks, so we have to copy everything they do.
So what you're saying is that if Samsung is going to copy Apple's astroturfing campaigns, they need to do a better job of it?
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Apple sucks, so we have to copy everything they do.
So what you're saying is that if Samsung is going to copy Apple's astroturfing campaigns, they need to do a better job of it?
Well, they could start copying Apple by actually finding real people who like their products. Remember Ellen Feiss?
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Apple sucks, so we have to copy everything they do.
So what you're saying is that if Samsung is going to copy Apple's astroturfing campaigns, they need to do a better job of it?
Well, they could start copying Apple by actually finding real people who like their products. Remember Ellen Feiss?
It should be easy enough to find real people. Find a bunch of poncy photogenic "creative" types, give them a tablet for their troubles and let them gush profusely about how the device changed their lives. People will whore themselves out quite readily and say any shit you want them to say when there is a shiny toy for their troubles.
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Really /.? I know that dupes happen, but this [slashdot.org] is ridiculous!
Don't blame me, I marked it as a 'Dupe' in the fire hose.
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That's not ridiculous... this is :)
http://www.dhiren.za.net/files/pictures/slashdupe.jpg [za.net]
Re:I'm confused... (Score:4, Insightful)
So wait... I'm confused, who do we hate again?
Marketing people. They'll lie equally about a product we like and one we hate.
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Why can't we go back to the good old days when the marketing meant finding out what people want* and directing R&D toward that thing, instead of what we have now, where they take any old product and just tell people it's the thing they want....
*or will want, when they find out it exists.
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Why can't we go back to the good old days when the marketing meant finding out what people want* and directing R&D toward that thing, instead of what we have now, where they take any old product and just tell people it's the thing they want....
*or will want, when they find out it exists.
apparently people dont really want marketers to "find out what people want" either...
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Never. Because it's boring and it doesn't sell product.
Rail as much as you want against marketing, but if you can't sell product, especially if it's non-utilitarian, you go out of business. Fast.
And I work on the making side of things, not the sales.
This story is a non-story and not news for nerds. If you are surprised by this marketing technique, you're just the gullible person they're targeting.
--
BMO
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Why can't we go back to the good old days when the marketing meant finding out what people want* and directing R&D toward that thing, instead of what we have now, where they take any old product and just tell people it's the thing they want....
Let's see, which makes more money... Convincing people to buy things they don't need or want, or the first way.
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That's what they did before, when they tried to build the one, true car that everyone would like. And thus the Edsel was born, and it was presented to horrified crowds.
I said, Edsel, not Prius.
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Why can't we go back to the good old days when the marketing meant finding out what people want* and directing R&D toward that thing, instead of what we have now, where they take any old product and just tell people it's the thing they want....
Let's see, which makes more money... Convincing people to buy things they don't need or want, or the first way.
Capitalism is based on selling people anything that will make you money, the underlying product/service is irrelevant.
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To quote Dilbert: "Our customers want better products for free".
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Why are you confused? Most Slashdot posters seem to think what Samsung is doing is OK and reasonable -- presumably because they're a competitor to Apple. If Apple did the same thing as what Samsung did, they would of course be evil scum and low-life baby killers.
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The toppings contain potassium benzoate....
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Like it or not, Apple is the most wanted brand lof tablets and phones. You can add flash, hdmi, double rainbows to your tablet but if Steve Jobs didn't produce it then it is regarded as pig shit by the masses.
Samsungs status = Told.
No, it's regarded as pig shit by Apple afficionados, people that would believe in the infallibility of Apple even if it did turn out pig shit. The rest of us look at the overall value proposition, and may or may not decide to buy Apple based upon our actual needs. The phenomenal success of Android in the handset market shows very clearly that not everyone considers Apple a "must buy." And that's only reasonable: no single product, or product line, can hope to serve everyone's needs.
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Not so sure about that. Air is pretty much universally popular.
I'm just waiting for iAir to come out. You're breathing it wrong!
Re:Apple has won (Score:5, Insightful)
No, it's regarded as pig shit by Apple afficionados, people that would believe in the infallibility of Apple even if it did turn out pig shit.
No, AC has it right. Android has been on tablets for what, half a year now? No one is buying them. I seem to recall a bunch of predictions back in March and April last year that by Fall 2010, iPad would be outsold by the plethora of inexpensive but more powerful Android tablets.
Instead, iPad completely owns the tablet market. Android is barely a footnote.
The rest of us look at the overall value proposition, and may or may not decide to buy Apple based upon our actual needs.
That's funny. Do you really think the average consumer is going to methodically evaluate the iPad compared to Android tablets and make a choice based on specs?
Judging the overall value proposition will happen, but it won't be made based on the criteria you are thinking it will be. 15 million people made a value proposition in 2010 for the iPad. Right now Apple cannot make iPad 2's fast enough.
The phenomenal success of Android in the handset market shows very clearly that not everyone considers Apple a "must buy." And that's only reasonable: no single product, or product line, can hope to serve everyone's needs.
No, the "phenomenal" success of Android in the handset market (nice selective criteria there, iOS has greater market share than Android overall) shows that people have multiple criteria when choosing a cell phone beyond simply the OS and quality of the phone. This includes things price (how many of those Android phones were free with a contract?), carrier choice, and a physical keyboard. None of these things apply to the iPad.
On the tablet, Android has to compete with iOS directly, and so far it has failed miserably.
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Android has been on tablets for at least 2 years, probably longer. Stop trying to ignore anything that isn't made by your own favorite manufacturers.
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People weren't staying away from the Android tablets that most certainly did exist (and failed miserably) over the last year because of it not having "official" tablet support (which is complete retroactive bullshit, there were official Android tablets shipped in 2010, these weren't simply using the non-controlled open source version of Android). The limitations of pre-Honeycomb tablets wouldn't be terribly apparent in the store. If people actually wanted Android tablets, they would have sold well and just
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People weren't staying away from the Android tablets that most certainly did exist (and failed miserably) over the last year because of it not having "official" tablet support (which is complete retroactive bullshit, there were official Android tablets shipped in 2010, these weren't simply using the non-controlled open source version of Android). The limitations of pre-Honeycomb tablets wouldn't be terribly apparent in the store. If people actually wanted Android tablets, they would have sold well and just had high returns if Gingerbread were insufficient as a tablet OS.
Yes they were staying away. Partly for lack of support, partly for lack of choice and partly for lack of an affordable model. I consider myself very pro Android but I've steered clear of an Android tablet and intend to continue to do so until they become more affordable. I could cite all sorts of reasons Android is great but I'm not so blinded to buy something in spite of its faults.
I was very tempted by the Archos 101 save for the OS version it runs and it not being compatible device as per CDD. I consi
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The Nook is smaller form factor, perfect for book reading a bit of browsing. The Archos 101 k
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Re:Apple has won (Score:5, Interesting)
Like it or not, Apple is the most wanted brand lof tablets and phones. You can add flash, hdmi, double rainbows to your tablet but if Steve Jobs didn't produce it then it is regarded as pig shit by the masses.
You know what's funny? The #1 best selling smartphone brand in 2010 in Canada, US, UK, and Latin America was Blackberry.
The big news in early March wasn't that Android overtook Apple in share of US smartphone subscribers -- it was that Android overtook RIM. Apple doesn't and hasn't even come close. See for yourself: [cnet.com]
October 2010: Apple 24.6%, Android 23.5%, RIM 35.8%
January 2011: Apple 24.7%, Android 31.2%, RIM 30.4%
Given the data, it doesn't appear that Apple is even close to the "most wanted" brand of smartphone, let alone phones in general.
Apples status = Told.
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No, no, kdawson is the worst ""editor"" -- he's so bad, he needs nested scare quotes. samzenpus is the worst mere "editor".
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here in germany we had such commercials since the concentration camps.. how is this new?
You mentioned the war but I think you got away with it.