Remember the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer from earlier this year? The one depicting the titular superhero with a Samsung foldable? While the idea of broke student Peter Parker being able to afford buying such a phone is a bit out there, a new advertisement by the South Korean tech giant may have offered an explanation to the situation. But in doing so, the company is potentially sending an interesting message to viewers, and it’s likely one that it did not intend to.
You should probably watch the ad first for context, as it shows Parker going through multiple phones as they inadvertently get damaged in his battles against various villains. After piling on a box’s worth, a voice, presumably Karen’s (Spider-Man’s equivalent of FRIDAY, though it doesn’t sound like her much) says “I have a solution for you”. The ad then shows a fabricator – which doesn’t look like one of the Stark Industries variety seen in prior films – essentially 3D-printing a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone, this time with a punch-hole cutout. The phone is also already powered on while it’s still being fabricated, which is an interesting choice.
To be honest, it’s unclear whether it’s the Flip7 or Flip8 without a much closer look. But with the Galaxy Unpacked event that will launch the latter being just a week away, it may as well be the latest model. The ad also shows another phone being fabricated sporting “a new shape perfect for communications with Detective DeWolff”, likely referring to the Z Fold8 with the new wider form factor. Then, of course, there’s Ned with what looks like the Ultra, as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra2.
So, with the fabricator in mind, it solves the mystery of the school or college kid Peter Parker being able to afford a Samsung foldable; he probably still can’t, but that doesn’t matter because he 3D-printed it. And it didn’t stop with one phone either. It also doesn’t help that Karen even says “schematics uploaded”, leading to this comment. Although surprisingly, it looks to be the only one of its kind.
Now, to be fair, this is the US arm of Samsung, infamous for taking potshots at competitors for their business decisions before the South Korean tech giant announces similar moves. But there’s no competitor this time around, so there’s really nothing else to blame for the brand putting its figurative foot in its mouth. But it does bring back fond, funny memories from the early 2000s, even if the meme of that anti-piracy video was often a misnomer.
But back to the ad. Is Samsung advocating for the downloading of its phones, as it were? Probably not, but when it is showing a superhero character do it, it’s still not exactly a good look either. As an aside, the company says the ad was “directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker, Marvel alum, and acclaimed production designer Kasra Farahani”.
(Source: Samsung US [1], [2])
