It’s my first time to cover a major product launch overseas and it’s a bit surprising (and amusing) how competition do things differently abroad compared in the Philippines.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 was the next big thing for Samsung. The major success of their Samsung Galaxy S series (since the first one) gave Samsung a huge bulls-eye on its back for rivals to pick on.
Take for example what LG did by placing a billboard with the same emphasis on the number “œ4″ just above the Samsung Galaxy S4’s billboard at the corner of Times Square and 7th Ave.
Our hotel was along Times Square and we saw this while looking for a late grub after we arrived. LG’s was a digital ad and there’s a screen that also says “œLG Optimus 4G is here 4 you now!” mocking the somewhat late arrival of the Galaxy S4.
The launch was held at the iconic Radio City Music Hall and it was a cold and long queue outside the venue before the show started. Check out how HTC came to crash the party.
There were people representing HTC and the new HTC One which was launched in New York last month trolling the line giving a demo and discount flyers to anybody who’s interested. And it piqued the interest of a lot of media people waiting at the line.
It was a long wait outside the below 0 cold and HTC came to the rescue serving hot cocoa to freezing launch-goers. They also had some HTC-branded Pringles and mineral water to give out for those who were starving.
I guess this kind of trolling is okay here (and maybe some other parts of the world) but I don’t think it will fly in our country. Imagine if Globe or Smart did a stunt like this during one of their competitor’s event.