Growing Up: When Samsung Took a Jab at Apple

Every rivalry has its moments of pure theatre. In the case of Apple and Samsung, one such moment arrived in 2017 with a video titled Growing Up. The film transformed the act of queuing outside an Apple store into a symbol of loyalty, habit, and resistance to change.

Samsung chose satire as its sharpest weapon. The result? A commercial that moved beyond features and specs. It tapped into sentiment. Into fatigue. Into the idea that progress required maturity.

The story followed a man, year after year, collecting iPhones like clockwork. He stood in line. He dealt with dongles. He ran out of storage. He watched others experience features he lacked—wireless charging, waterproof design, and even the freedom of a stylus.

Visually, the film walked through a timeline of product cycles. In each phase, Apple’s choices became cues for frustration, while Samsung’s ecosystem quietly provided solutions. The most talked-about scene? A symbolic haircut. The iPhone fanboy's dramatic side profile morphing into a literal notch—a clever nod, layered with mockery.

There was no narration. No shouting. Just music, timing, and clean visual storytelling.

The brilliance of Growing Up lay not in the product pitch, but in its cultural read. It recognised that brand loyalty could age into blind habit. It questioned the need to wait in lines when alternatives already solved the problem.

Instead of comparing phones on a spec sheet, the ad brought emotions into the mix—fatigue, envy, even quiet regret. It made switching feel less like betrayal and more like growing out of a phase.

Negative advertising is challenging to execute effectively. This one managed to provoke, amuse, and convert—all in 60 seconds.

Growing Up offered more than just a comparison—it captured a shift in consumer behaviour. Samsung framed itself not only as an innovator but as the choice for those ready to evolve.

And in doing so, it left one message hanging in the air: growing up means knowing when it’s time to move on.