Samsung v Apple: It's getting closer in the big cell-phone advertising race
The cellphone advertiising race in the US, once a walkover for Samsung is getting much tighter as Apple shows its advertising teeth.
Samsung: Advertising race narrows
Seven of the top U.S. smartphone makers spent over $1.3bn last year on ads across TV, print, online, radio and outdoor venues, says the WSJ. This was up 33 per cent from the 2012 spendin about $1bn, reports Kantar Media.
Spending in the telecom category as a whole grew more than 8 per cent, nine times faster than the total U.S. ad market that grew 0.9 per cent, said Kantar Media chief research officer Jon Swallen.
Samsung outspent Apple by $68m in 2012, but the iPhone maker closed the ad spending gap to just $12m as Samsung cut back .
Last year, Apple spent about $351m on total U.S. wireless phone advertising, up 5 per cent from $333m. o Kantar Media says It spent more on TV ads last year than its entire 2012 budget, spending $339m on TV ads in 2013, up 15 per cent from 2012 TV ad spending.
Samsung spent about $363m on all U.S. mobile phone ads, down 10 per cent from $401m, the only top device maker that cut U.S. ad spending.
At number three was Nokia which is merging its devices and services business with Microsoft, spent $221m, more than 15 times what it spent in 2012, while Motorola, was fourth, having more than tripled spending to $189m after it became part of Google in mid-2012.