If there’s one way to make adults feel like they’re behind on the times, it’s by taking college students and having them ridicule their elders over the technology they’re using. That’s the theory, at least, in the latest ad from Samsung promoting it’s new Galaxy S4.
While many of the features on the S4 are nifty, the ad does not deliver a “must have” appeal that Samsung was hoping to spread. Being able to wave over your phone to answer it while you have barbecue sauce on your hands is cute, but the response from the parent was unrealistic when he asked, “Oh wow. That’s how you answer it?”
The biggest mistake they made was starting off with a fake feature. “Have a smell,” the youth said after taking pictures of ribs. That should have been omitted as it puts the rest of the features that follow into doubt as to whether they’re real or not. Oh well. They have had some decent commercials and are performing well against the iPhone, but this isn’t going to have people flocking to get the new 4S, at least not from iPhone land.
The author of this must think that older people are too stupid to catch the tounge in cheek teasing of the ad when the graduate says “have a smell.” I’m pretty sure that 98% of the older generation understood this joke along with the other subtle nuances. The other 2% are like my mom…they’d need an IT person with them at all times to use any smartphone. And yes, that too was a subtle joke.