‘Bend-Gate’ has provided Samsung with another opportunity to capitalise on the media coverage of the launch of the new iPhone 6. The advertisement, which was released today, depicts the iPhone 6 “bowing down” to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, with the caption “Bend to those who are worthy.” The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 passed the bend test, which the iPhone 6 failed. The “bending” of the iPhone 6 has had a negative impact on consumer perception of the iPhone 6, and undermined the credibility of the brand.
This has provided Samsung with the opportunity to position the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Note 4 as more reliable than the iPhone 6, and persuade consumers that intend to buy the iPhone to switch to the Samsung Galaxy. This demonstrates how important it is for brand’s to monitor and respond to events that take place in the media, as it could present them with an opportunity to advertise their brand.
The negative publicity surrounding the iPhone 6 continues to increase, as consumers have published a variety of satirical images online, two of which are depicted above. This raises the question of the long-term impact that this will have on the brand image, and the sales of Apple products, in particular the iPhone 6.
LG, HTC, KitKat, and Heineken have also trolled capitalised on the bending of the iPhone 6 in the Twitter posts below:
Apple has not responded about whether the $10 million consumers who have purchased the iPhone 6 will receive a refund or exchange.
How do you think Apple should respond? Do you think this will have a long-term impact on the sales of the iPhone 6?
Sources
The Digital Life 
The bendable iPhone 6 implied an assumption that Apple did not stress-test it’s new iPhone in the factory prior launching it in the market. Many customers might lose their confidence and trust in Apple which could destroy their “reliabe” brand image Apple have built over the years. This is not just a typical “blend my Apple juice or cutting Apple into half” youtube video. Those video were just for fun but bendable iPhone 6 could be an actual technical defect in the product and customers would seriously doubt it’s quality and durability in this product now. Therefore, I think this might have created an long-term negative impact on their brand image.
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Yeah, I agree! Their brand image is based upon the reliability and durability of their products, which has been questioned because of the bending of the iPhone 6. If they have failed to test a defect in one of their most anticipated products, then this could raise concerns about possible defects in future Apple products. I think that Apple needs to create positive publicity in the media to repair the damage that has been caused to their brand image, and prevent the long-term impact that this situation could have on the brand in the future.
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The bendable iPhone 6 might created an negative brand image as it could be an actual technical defects in this product. It created an assumption that Apple did not stress-test iPhone 6 in the factory prior launching it in the market. Therefore consumers might lose their confidence and trust in Apple and destroy it’s reliable brand image in the future. Eventually, Apple will lose their market share to their competitors which reduced their sales in the future.
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This is definitely a big issue for Apple, as it could have a long-term, devastating impact on their brand image. It has already had an impact on consumer perception about the reliability and durability of their products, and will continue to do so unless Apple can resolve this problem. However, it may be difficult for Apple to earn the trust of consumers after this situation. I am interested to see if this has had a large impact on Apple’s market share, and if it has increased position of Samsung and other competitors in the smartphone market.
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I think this will definitely have a long term impact on the Apple brand in general. First it was the cloud which where nude celeb photos were leaked, then it was the IOS 8 and IOS 8.1 which wasn’t working properly, and now the $1000+ iPhone 6 is a defect… Samsung really do have the upper hand at the moment, and I am concerned whether or not Apple can maintain it’s prominent position in the technology market.
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Yeah it will definitely be interesting to see how this situation will impact Samsung’s brand image and sales in the market. I agree, the negative publicity that Apple has received in both the public and media during this past year could have a long-term impact on it’s brand image, and position in the market. It will be interesting to see how they respond to this situation, and what strategies they will employ in the next few months to resolve these issues and repair their brand image!
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