Google grabs Samsung marketing exec for Motorola
updated 07:57 pm EST, Fri December 21, 2012
Google picks up Samsung ad exec
As part of Google's ongoing effort to revivify Motorola and make it a major player in the smartphone and mobile device sector once more, Google has hired Brian Wallace, the vice president of strategic marketing at Samsung's US phone unit. Wallace will fill a similar position at Motorola to that he held with Samsung, heading up consumer marketing and spearheading ad campaigns. Most recently, Wallace helped develop for Samsung the ads that mocked Apple fans waiting in line for the iPhone 5. Those ads, according to web video tracker Visible Measures, were among the most popular tech ads of the year.
Wallace, according to AllThingsD, joined Samsung a year ago, having spent more than a decade prior to that at BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion. His most notable ad, seen below, shows iPhone fans waiting in line and discussing the features of the iPhone 5 before its release, only to have their interest piqued by passersby showing off their Galaxy S III handsets. According to the YouTube page for the ad, it has been viewed online more than 17 million times.
Bringing on Wallace for more pointed advertising could signal an increased seriousness on Google's part for improving Motorola's brand image. Motorola, under Google's guidance since May, is now said to be working on flagship devices meant to bring it into competition with both Apple and Samsung, the two leaders in mobile devices. Google, reportedly, hopes to turn Motorola from a bit player in the smartphone and tablet sector into a real competitor, possibly as insurance for the Android platform against the possibility of Samsung stumbling or striking off on its own.
