The ongoing Apple vs. Samsung battle looks even less flattering for TBWA\Chiat\Day after Business Insider and others gained access to more emails detailing a contentious back-and-forth between head of marketing Phil Schiller and James Vincent of Media Arts Lab.
The full exchange is worth a read for your daily allowance of Schadenfreude. Some key points:
- TBWA proposes an emergency meeting to address matters that seem more relevant to PR than ad departments: brand likability, employee behaviors, etc.
- The ad proposal is to “change the conversation” with a focus on differentiating the iPhone from the Galaxy
- TBWA also proposes a regular marketing communications meeting to facilitate “more open and expansive ways to experiment with ideas”
Schiller wasn’t buying it.
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- “To…suggest Apple needs to think dramatically different about how we are running our company is a shocking response.”
- He also shoots down the prospect of giving TWBA more leeway to develop ideas that haven’t received a review
An apology of sorts follows, with allusions to “a concerted effort…like mac vs pc.”
In short, Apple blamed the agency for much of its dissatisfaction with the iPhone vs. Galaxy positioning–and no breakthrough campaign followed.
There’s no good time to air such dirty laundry.