Samsung 'Finds' Another Tim Cook to Sell Galaxy Z Fold 8, a Strike at Apple?

The name Tim Cook suddenly became a talking point in New Zealand, but not because of the Apple CEO. Samsung New Zealand launched an ad campaign featuring a real estate agent from Palmerston North who happens to share the exact name of the Apple boss. The ad appeared just days after Apple announced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable device, on September 9.

The campaign, uploaded via Samsung New Zealand's official TikTok account, opens with the line, "Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it's about Galaxy." The visuals adopt Apple's signature minimalist style: clean backgrounds, slow pacing, and a confident tone that assumes the product is already desired. In the video, the New Zealand Tim Cook describes the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as "the best of both worlds", referring to its compact folded profile and wider inner display when opened. It should be noted that the statement is a paid endorsement, not an independent review.

Samsung did not stop at one video. They expanded the campaign with a series of additional content featuring Cook in unboxing sessions and feature demonstrations, including photo editing and the advantages of the large screen, according to a Mashable report. The move reinforces the narrative that Samsung is the experienced player welcoming a newcomer to the foldable phone category.

This is not the first time Samsung has used a similar tactic. In 2018, its "Ingenius" campaign highlighted iPhone shortcomings, such as the notch and the loss of the headphone jack, to position Galaxy as the more practical alternative. The competitive logic is the same, only the battlefield has shifted to foldable phones. By placing a figure named Tim Cook as a Galaxy endorser right as Apple enters, Samsung wants to assert that it was the first to work on this category.

"This is Samsung's way of saying they were there long before Apple, and they want consumers to realize who came first," said an industry observer who declined to be named.

Beyond the Tim Cook campaign, Samsung is also aggressively promoting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 line through a "Switchers" program that directly targets consumers hesitant to leave the Apple ecosystem. Both campaigns show that Samsung does not see Apple's presence in the foldable market as a threat, but rather as an opportunity to recruit new users. Technology analyst Mark Gurman even predicts that devices with large foldable screens will increasingly take over tasks typically handled by laptops or tablets, though this prediction is directional rather than a certain market outcome.

For the Indonesian market, this dynamic is worth watching. Samsung and Apple both have large user bases in the country, and competition in the foldable phone segment could influence pricing strategies and feature innovation. If Apple truly markets the iPhone Duo aggressively, Indonesian consumers may be faced with more choices, but also the potential for a price war that benefits buyers. On the other hand, Samsung, which arrived earlier with several generations of Galaxy Fold, has an edge in product maturity and after-sales service.

The coming months will determine whether Apple's presence in the foldable category will drive broader consumer interest, or merely divert attention from Samsung. What is clear is that Samsung currently still holds the advantage as an early player with years of experience. The question is whether creative marketing strategies like this will be enough to maintain its position, or whether Apple will be able to surprise with innovations that change the competitive map.