The International Business Times reports that about a dozen employees of a marketing company called Iris turned up at Apple’s Regent Street London outlet this morning as fans waited excitedly for the store to open. The marketing people began handing out blue bottles, blankets and pillows bearing the hashtag #NextIsNew to the shivering crowds as suspicions began to rise.
Iris is known to have carried out work for Samsung in the past and it wasn’t long before the connection was made. #NextIsNew was used during Samsung’s marketing campaigns for the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ and it quickly became apparent that the company was trying to steal some Apple fans at the last possible opportunity.
The marketing reps weren’t always received popularly by fans who had waited for hours to buy their chosen phone. Some took to Twitter to complain about the publicity stunt, although it isn’t the first time that Samsung has acted in this way.
In the past, Samsung has made reference to Apple’s launch-day queues in its advertising campaigns, mocking the company and calling its supporters “iSheep.” The presence of cameras on Regent Street this morning indicates that it could have been capturing footage to use in new videos over the next few weeks.
The Samsung Mobile UK Twitter account managed to take another stab at the people queuing for the iPhone 6S, saying “Queuing is so overrated… #WhyQueue when you can get the #GalaxyS6EdgePlus right now? #NextIsNew”. An image accompanying the post told Apple fans to “Queue jump to the most amazing smartphone on the market”, a dig at Apple’s “if it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” campaigns.
The iPhone 6S is thought to have easily beaten the iPhone 6 in terms of initial pre-orders. Those who have purchased the device from Apple will have received their phones on their doorstep today while many others worldwide ventured out to their nearest Apple Store to pick one up in person.
