The old saying goes, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery." If that is the case, Microsoft must feel very flattered right now. For the past several weeks, the company has been running the viral video campaign Smoked by Windows Phone to promote the Windows Phone OS. The videos show Microsoft rep Ben Rudolph completing tasks on his Windows Phone device faster that those on other smartphones. This week, the company took the next step and turned the viral marketing effort into a full fledged online ad campaign.
Now it looks like Samsung is taking some lessons from Microsoft. The company launched a new YouTube video this week called the Samsung Street Challenge. Like Smoked by Windows Phone, Samsung is challenging people to complete tasks faster compared to Samsung's massive Galaxy Note device.
The video, filmed in New York City, shows the Samsung rep using the Galaxy Note and its included stylus to accomplish tasks such as creating a personalized message for a friend or editing a PowerPoint presentation. The challenger, who looks like she is using an iPhone, is mostly dumbstruck at how the Samsung rep is able to accomplish these tasks with the Galaxy Note.
The competitive nature of Smoked by Windows Phone and the Samsung Street Challenge is certainly part of the reason for the success of these viral campaigns. One wonders if Apple might be next to launch a similar marketing effort.
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