Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - In a clear ambush marketing strategy, Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei parked a branded vehicle outside Samsung’s Johannesburg offices on Thursday, taking a cheap shot at Samsung Note8 launch.
Huawei towed a trailer brandishing the words “Welcome to the dual camera family – from our Mate” right in front of Samsung's offices in Bryanston, a stone-throw away from one of the Chinese manufacturer’s offices in the same area.
Huawei's marketing ploy was in clear reference to Wednesday night’s launch of the South Korean manufacturer’s latest smartphone, which now features dual cameras. Last year Huawei launched its first dual camera smartphone – the P9 and P9Plus and have since released the P10, P10Plus and Mate 9 smartphones – all of which feature dual cameras.
READ: Samsung Note 8 may just be worth its hefty R18 499 price tag
In response to the tactic Huawei told Fin24 that they parked the trailer outside Samsung to start a conversation around the history of dual camera technology in South Africa and its innovation in this field.
“We have shown the way with 3 generations of dual camera smartphones such as our P-Series and our Mate Series. In our P10 we are now in our second generation of camera technology and over the next few months we will be launching new technology that will be taking smartphones to the next level,” director of marketing Claire Wujun told Fin24.
Unfazed by the incident Samsung told Fin24 that they did not talk about the activities of competitor brands.
Samsung announced that the Note8 will arrive in South Africa on September 22 with a hefty recommended retail price tag of R18 499. The device is expected to be available on contract from around R869 per month on a 24-month contract.
