Samsung Hires a Real Tim Cook to Promote the Galaxy Z Fold8 in Playful Apple Jab
Samsung has found a clever way to grab attention as foldable phones become the next major battleground in the smartphone market. To promote the Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung New Zealand recruited a real person named Tim Cook, though not the famous Apple executive, for a cheeky marketing campaign aimed squarely at its biggest rival.
The star of the campaign is Tim Cook, a real estate agent from Palmerston North, New Zealand. In a short social media video, Samsung introduces him with the line, “Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it’s about Galaxy.” The joke is simple, direct, and clearly designed to spark conversation: Samsung now has its own Tim Cook talking about foldable phones.
The timing of the campaign is no coincidence. Apple has recently entered the foldable smartphone space with the iPhone Duo, marking its first serious step into a category Samsung has been developing for years. Samsung launched its first Galaxy Fold back in 2019, giving the company a long head start in foldable phone design, durability, software optimization, and multitasking features.
By using a real Tim Cook in its advertising, Samsung is not only poking fun at Apple but also reminding consumers that Galaxy foldables have been around for multiple generations. The message is clear: while Apple is just arriving, Samsung wants shoppers to see the Galaxy Z Fold8 as the more mature and refined foldable option.
The Galaxy Z Fold8, introduced in July, continues Samsung’s book-style foldable design. It features a 5.5-inch cover display for quick everyday tasks and a larger 7.6-inch inner display for productivity, entertainment, gaming, and multitasking. Samsung also highlights the device’s 201-gram weight, calling it the lightest Galaxy Fold model the company has made so far.
That lighter build could be one of Samsung’s key talking points against Apple’s new foldable. The iPhone Duo also offers a 7.6-inch internal display, but it reportedly weighs 254 grams, making it noticeably heavier than Samsung’s latest foldable. For users who carry their phone all day, weight and portability can make a big difference.
Samsung has a long tradition of teasing Apple in its ads, often targeting delayed features, design decisions, or missing hardware upgrades. This latest campaign fits perfectly into that history, but it does so with a lighter and more humorous approach. Instead of focusing only on specs, Samsung uses a memorable name-based joke to keep the Galaxy Z Fold8 in the spotlight.
As competition in the foldable smartphone market heats up, marketing may become just as important as hardware. Apple’s entrance gives foldable phones greater mainstream attention, but Samsung is using that moment to reinforce its position as one of the pioneers of the category.
With the Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung is betting on experience, a lighter design, and years of foldable refinement. And with help from a real Tim Cook, the company has found a fun way to make sure people are talking about it.
