Apple's New Ad Campaign Will Subtly Combat The Galaxy S4

Just two days after Samsung announced its Galaxy S4 smartphone, Apple unleashed a new advertising campaign that highlights why people love their iPhones.

The "Why-iPhone" page on Apple's website introduces a subtle shift in Apple's advertising: focusing on people and not just the the features of its product.

Samsung has been scoring points for its "people-based" ads, notes MacRumors' Eric Slivka, who first spotted Apple's new Web campaign.

Even former Apple ad man Ken Segall, the guy behind Apple's break out "Think Different" campaign, says that Apple has lost its way with its ads. Apple needs to come up with a more inspiring message to counter Samsung's popular and funny ads, he believes.

Samsung's ads have done everything from mock Apple fans to showcase big names like director Tim Burton and actors Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd.

The new iPhone campaign may not do enough to put people front-and-center. It still mostly focuses on a list of features, mentioning people in subtle ways like this:

"iPhone feels substantial in your hand and perfect in your pocket."

Will such slight changes help Apple combat Samsung's onslaught? More than any other smartphone maker, Samsung has been killing it against Apple. According to BI Intelligence's global smartphone market estimates, Samsung shipped 212 million smartphones in 2012, compared to Apple's 136 million. In the fourth quarter, Samsung accounted for 31 percent of shipments globally, while Apple took a 23 percent share.