Samsung's ads are suddenly cooler than Apple's. There, with tears in my eyes and fingers trembling on my Mac keyboard, I wrote the words I never thought I'd write. Seriously, I've warmed to 72andSunny's "The Next Big Thing Is Already Here" campaign for Samsung's Galaxy smartphones, especially the new 90-second spot below (directed by Michael Downing and produced by Epoch Films), which arrives just in time to tweak Apple addicts squeezed into lawn chairs and shivering in sleeping bags ahead of tomorrow's iPhone 5 launch. As with past ads in the series, there's no overt mention of Apple, but we all know who's being zinged. Admittedly, I was lukewarm on Samsung's Super Bowl teaser, and disliked the over-the-top rockin' climax of the spot that aired during the game. Now, however, the elements are jelling. With a tone that's sharp and snarky, but not nasty, this latest effort for the Galaxy S III not so subtly points out that the handset already boasts some specs, like a bigger screen, that Apple touts as innovations in its own device. There's also nice continuity, as the cap-and-glasses guy who switched to Samsung once again stands amid the throng awaiting the iPhone release, though now he's just "saving a spot in line for someone." In one of the most memorable commercial bitch-slaps of the year, "someone" is revealed to be … his middle-aged parents. That's, well, uncool. This is not happening! This is not happening!
