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What the Droid Prime and Nexus Prime Need to Beat the iPhone 5

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By now, you’ve heard about a device we think might be called the Samsung Prime aka Nexus Prime aka Droid Prime for Verizon. Details about the device are still extremely murky but we’re fairly sure that we’ll see Sammy and Google launch it in October or in November with the arrival of Ice Cream Sandwich.

The latest rumor has it coming to all major U.S. providers with Verizon getting it first and putting their own spin on it. Yes, it might be a Droid-branded device.

Well, there was another Droid-branded device that came out just a few short days ago, a device called the Motorola Droid Bionic. The anticipation leading up to the Droid Bionic’s arrival was heavy. Launch dates and specs surfaced almost every day and the excitement was incredible.

That is, until it became overkill.

You see, while the Droid Bionic is a great phone, its launch was far from stellar. Every knew everything there was to know about the Droid Bionic weeks before Verizon announced a date.

And to make matters worse, Verizon didn’t capitalize on the buzz. At all. In fact, Big Red waited until a day before the rumored launch date to make everything official.Samsung Prime

In other words, it had let the blogosphere do the talking for it. But honestly, as much as I love my job, I am not speaking to the general population. Myself, and those of you reading this, are for the most part, smartphone nerds. We breathe in everything there is to breathe in about a phone before it’s released.

The normal person does not. And that’s why I think Google and Samsung need to do something different, something better, with the launch of the Samsung Prime.

With the Prime launching so close to the iPhone 5, it’s absolutely imperative that the launch of Samsung Prime does not follow in the footsteps of the Droid Bionic. Some examples:

Don’t announce this phone a day before it comes out.

Translation: Do not rely on blogs to funnel information to consumers. Again, blogs don’t get the pertinent information to average users and that’s exactly who Sammy and Google should be targeting with this device. That’s how you become the next iPhone.

Don’t accompany the launch of the Prime with gimmicky advertisements.

The Droid Bionic’s initial ad campaign was confusing. Sure, it had robots and an attractive heroine, but that’s not going to sell this device to anyone. Instead, get the person who made the recent Galaxy S II commercial and get them to follow the same footprint. Then, show the ad on all of the new fall TV show kickoffs.

Do give consumers a reason to wait.

Google and Samsung must plant the seed early. Like, now early. You’ve seen all of the buzz surrounding the iPhone 5 right? Google and Samsung need to start playing the same game.

How about a teaser commercial?

How about a teaser page?

The idea of the Prime has to be planted now, before the launch of the iPhone 5, otherwise the Google and Samsung risk being swallowed up by the launch of Apple’s newest iPhone irregardless of how awesome the Prime is.

The Prime has buzz, but it needs excitement among the general population. I’m not asking Samsung to go overboard and lay all the cards on the table, but give consumers a taste of what the Prime is right now with some good ads.

Motorola’s Droid Bionic is a great phone, but it stumbled out of the gate because of a poorly handled launch. Sad because it offers things no other smartphone offers.

But the Prime, with the right specs and a creative and intelligent launch, has the ability to rival the iPhone. I’m serious. If there is an Android phone that I’ll buy over the iPhone, it’s a Nexus device. 4G LTE on a Droid Prime would just be a cherry on top.

Google and Samsung just need to make sure the average consumer feels the same way.

43 Comments

43 Comments

  1. fUji MaNia

    09/16/2011 at 7:13 pm

    @Adam Mills you can’t beat or compare something that isn’t out yet, neither there is any official specs that have been released by the company. Pointless post in my opinion …sorry Bud! 

    • JoePa

      09/16/2011 at 7:39 pm

      It’s not pointless moron. It’s called speculation, and you take it with a grain of salt. He is obviously talking about the plethora of rumors that have leaked about both phones and writing an opinion piece about it.

    • Joseph A. Yager

      09/16/2011 at 7:50 pm

      @fUji; I don’t understand your comment – he is clearly saying everything is speculation, but that the companies need to work together to create some buzz early.  I happen to agree with him – the Bionic launch was pretty lame – some stores didn’t even have official posters or ads…

      • fUji MaNia

        09/16/2011 at 8:05 pm

        @facebook-14807964:disqus my problem with this post is the Title that makes it sound like the iPhone has already beaten the others. He uses that as a title then the whole post is about the campaigning process and marketing which has drifted totally from the title and that’s why I called it a pointless post not due to its content but the whole package together. Hope this explains!

        • Tony Perez

          09/17/2011 at 7:12 pm

          I believe the author was making the point that Apple set the bar high for marketing new models of their products. That’s going to be hard to beat. There’s no questions that the Samsung Prime will beat the iPhone in performance.

      • Tony Perez

        09/17/2011 at 7:10 pm

        For the Bionic launch many VZW stores didn’t have customers either. If the auto industry did what Motorola did with the Bionic, they’d have to declare bankruptcy every year. The general public purchases the bulk of products for sale. There are other products I don’t know about and if the manufacturer didn’t provide pre-release information, I’d have to go with the one that did. I enjoy Android-based smart phones. However, I have to admit that Apple does an excellent job of releasing information as soon as possible. I still won’t purchase and iPhone but there is so much competition among Android hardware manufacturers, they have to use the “shotgun approach” to hit as many potential consumers as possible. Good luck Samsung. I hope one of your decision-makers is reading this page. By the way, while there are still thousands of VZW consumers that sill have unlimited data plans, Samsung would be smart to market to them too…myself included.

    • primeforreplacement

      09/16/2011 at 9:09 pm

      Apparently you don’t get it. Adam Mills does and I agree with him 100%. There could be an awesome rival to the iphone 5 on the horizon. However, if Google and Samsung do not peak the consumers’ curiosity with an effective teaser ad, whether via online or tv, then it won’t matter and they will lose the potential for sales, lots of sales. We’re talking probably several hundred thousand phone sales up for grabs. Dare I say, a million even? If someone is ready for another phone right now, and you get their attention, then they will more than likely wait a few more weeks to get their hands on one to test drive. Samsung and Google, BE SMART and show us a teaser!!! 

  2. Matt_S_Cleary

    09/16/2011 at 7:31 pm

    Its not a pointless post. 
    I don’t think anyone would argue that there is going to be an iPhone coming out in the next coming months, and Google has confirmed on ?2? occasions that we will see another Nexus device with the launch of Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). So, while the phones in question aren’t officially announced, it’s extremely likely we’ll be seeing them in the near future. It doesn’t matter that we don’t know the specs on either phone yet, because the article focuses on the marketing aspects needed for the next Nexus to beat the next iPhone.

    I’ll definitely be buying the Nexus, even if they screw up the marketing campaign :-)

    (PS sorry if this double-posted, had an error the 1st time)

    • Tony Perez

      09/17/2011 at 7:17 pm

      Matt, you can edit your posts here. 

      I’m with you. As long as the Prime is what I expect, Samsung has my business. While I’m still on an unlimited VZW data plan, I want a handset that can take advantage of all sorts of media. iPhone may take another year or two to catch up on what the Prime will have in the upcoming weeks. 

  3. House-Rod Johnson

    09/16/2011 at 7:50 pm

    I love and own an Android. I will most like get the Nexus DROID (if there isn’t too much crap-ware). With that in mind…

    Motorola DROID Bionics’s problems:
    1. Did not come out when it was expected to (and when it had less competition)
    2. Expectations of iPhone 5 and DROID Prime/ Nexus Prime is less than 30 days.

    Had it come out months ago (maybe 3 months ago), it would have been fine. No one even heard of a DROID Prime, and Nexus Prime was all but forgotten. In terms of anticipation, the Nexus can’t do anything to become more desired than the iPhone 5, even if it has superior hardware/software. iPhone/iPod is not a type of phone or music player. It is the a synonym. Me son heards my DROID playing music and ask me if  he can heard a different song on my iPod. I have to remind him that I don’t have an iPod. Nexus exist to let the Hardware vendors know what they can do with Android and to advance to the next level. It will sell mostly to people that are turned off from iPhone or to techies. You might get some people that get it cause they don’t care what phone they get and the sells people steer them toward it. The one thing that Google can do to boost Nexus sells, is to offer a tablet at release time with Ice Cream Sandwich and show how these 2 devices compliment each other. Nexus can never out advertise iPhone, because to most people, iPhone means smartphone. Nexus is just some other type of iPhone, not made by Apple.

  4. Butch Yon

    09/16/2011 at 7:55 pm

    You forgot about the biggest “don’t”, Adam.  DON’T FILL IT UP WITH VERIZON’S BLOATWARE!  In fact, it MUST be running pure, vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich to be the “superphone” that everyone’s hoping for!  Hope Big Red is reading this! ;)

    • Tony Perez

      09/17/2011 at 7:19 pm

      I guess we will have to wait and see if Verizon releases it to be a Nexus Prime or Droid Prime. Right?

  5. bytesaber

    09/16/2011 at 8:32 pm

    This is the authors way of saying “tell me about this phone now” when in fact it doesn’t even exist.  It’s just vaporware and there is currently no reason to think it is real.  Samsung and Google didn’t start the rumors.  Everyone else did.  Therefore don’t aim blame about lack of advertising.

    • Tony Perez

      09/17/2011 at 7:25 pm

      By the time a handset makes it past the FCC testing, like the Prime did, it’s no longer vaporware. It means that the final version is ready. NOW would be the time to do the pre-release promotions.

      The point of the article was made. Instead of ONLY counting on tech geeks to spread the word to others like them, the idea is to make an effort to reach the other 90% of the potential consumer base.

  6. Guest

    09/16/2011 at 8:36 pm

    Irregardless?

  7. Colin Hodo

    09/16/2011 at 8:39 pm

    The Droid Prime specific to Verizon while everyone else gets Nexus Prime thing worries me. I’m on Verizon and I want a device I’m certainly will get OS updates as soon as they are available. Meaning, it’s largely up to Google when an update is released rather than the manufacturer.

    • Sssnake2332

      09/21/2011 at 1:08 am

      Or just root your phone and probably get the latest versions of Android before any other non-rooted devices.

    • Sssnake2332

      09/21/2011 at 1:08 am

      Or just root your phone and probably get the latest versions of Android before any other non-rooted devices.

  8. Anonymous

    09/16/2011 at 8:41 pm

    Well everything you said makes complete sense…so it probably won’t happen.

  9. Idiot

    09/16/2011 at 8:50 pm

    No such word as irregardless, tard.

  10. Jonathan Gilbert

    09/16/2011 at 9:39 pm

    No No NO. You got it all wrong. Sammy/Google/Verizon, disregard this article. Author has no idea what he’s talking about.

    (There, now it will hopefully be easier for me to get a Prime on launch day. :-)  )

    • Tony Perez

      09/17/2011 at 7:28 pm

      That IS a good point Jonathan! Because I don’t own stock in Samsung, it won’t matter to me if they don’t market to the masses. I do want the Prime to be in stock when it’s released! LOL 

  11. Henry0513

    09/16/2011 at 10:00 pm

    I agreed with everyone above.  I wanted to get the Droid Prime, but if they keep everything secret and iPhone5 come out decent (with LTE), I may as well go with that.  Its enough waiting been done…..

    Galaxy II then it didn’t even came out in Verizon… screw all the rumors.. lol

    • Brian

      09/22/2011 at 2:16 am

      Iphone5 will have A5 chip which is slow compared to new one the Prime will have 1.5 Ghz and will not have LTE. I will be thinner and 4 inch screen but thats it.

  12. Bigmouth

    09/16/2011 at 10:19 pm

    I hate the idea Verizon gets it first, but if the rumors are true, I’ll wait. My Sexy Nexy is still doing me proud.

  13. Anonymous

    09/16/2011 at 11:06 pm

    i agree with this post. It is all about marketing and Apple kills Android in this area. And as long as that continues, Apple will always be considered premium compared to Android. Specs don’t matter to consumers. Sell the idea, not the product. Explain why I can’t live without this device, not how fast dual core is. We Android fans may have the best OS and some of the best hardware but in peoples mind, Android is 2nd rate.

    The only way to change that is through marketing. And lots of it. The Droid Does campaign in 09 really took it to the iPhone. We need something along that line again. Without it, Android will never completely overcome the high end feel of Apple. Simple as that.

    With that said, can’t wait till I get the Nexus!

  14. Anonymous

    09/16/2011 at 11:37 pm

    If they know what’s good for them, SOMETHING official (preview page, announcement, event scheduling) will happen before the iPhone 5 comes out.  If they wait past that, I think they are going to lose a lot of people who just don’t know to wait.

  15. Jerry Word

    09/17/2011 at 7:00 am

    I think Adam is exactly on point about how the general public chooses a cell phone. Enthusiasts compare specs, carriers, etc. down to the tiniest detail. An average consumer is, to a large extent, driven by marketing. 

  16. David E

    09/17/2011 at 3:30 pm

    Wait a second. What iPhone 5 buzz? Has Apple even confirmed the name?
    The bottom line is that both these phones are incomplete and neither
    company is willing to give anything away. Maybe you’re confusing the
    iPhone 5 with iOS. In respect to the OS versions of these phones i think
    both companies have been pretty expressive about features they will
    have so that puts them on about an even keel.

    I worry that there might not be a true iPhone killer for a very long
    time simply because a larger group of technophobes out there will never
    even look at another manufacturer. Mostly likely what happens is in the
    post-Jobs era Apple lets quality slide and releases a less than
    impressive phone with limited features and that will finally drive the
    die-hards to try Android. Of course many will realize what they’ve been
    missing and switch at that point.

  17. David E

    09/17/2011 at 3:30 pm

    Wait a second. What iPhone 5 buzz? Has Apple even confirmed the name?
    The bottom line is that both these phones are incomplete and neither
    company is willing to give anything away. Maybe you’re confusing the
    iPhone 5 with iOS. In respect to the OS versions of these phones i think
    both companies have been pretty expressive about features they will
    have so that puts them on about an even keel.

    I worry that there might not be a true iPhone killer for a very long
    time simply because a larger group of technophobes out there will never
    even look at another manufacturer. Mostly likely what happens is in the
    post-Jobs era Apple lets quality slide and releases a less than
    impressive phone with limited features and that will finally drive the
    die-hards to try Android. Of course many will realize what they’ve been
    missing and switch at that point.

  18. Anonymous

    09/17/2011 at 5:58 pm

    Disagree.  One of Apple’s greatest feats is that they launch a device mere weeks after they announce it.  And in those weeks they launch a huge marketing blitz.  But nothing before the reveal.

    This is one area where I wish other companies would copy Apple.

  19. Jonathan Johnson

    09/17/2011 at 7:13 pm

    As for the title it’s supposed to grab your attention and get hits when you google Nexus Prime on Google.  It did that. Therefore, even if it puts Iphone5 in a better light than nexus it’s ok cause it got us here.  As for the article I couldn’t agree more. Adam is 110% right.  Everyone knows marketing is everything and the Bionic truly failed here.  I didn’t like the Bionic’s specs to begin with, then when they came out with some stupid obscure movielike commercial I was turned off even more.  At first I thought some dumb movie like Aeon-Flux was coming out again (the Japanimation was better). You want a product like a phone to do good you have to have a marketing campaign that speaks to the non-geek and shows the normal consumer why the Nexus Prime is the sleeker, cooler, more functional, more powerful phone.  Give me another stupid heroine vs robot techno-crap and I may still buy the phone but not because of the ads. Also, the general population won’t know what they’re missing.  They’ll just know there is another phone out there that all the geeks are raving about.

  20. Wm. Bainbridge

    09/18/2011 at 2:38 am

    I think the article’s basic idea that the Prime is competing against the iPhone5 is correct, and that it will not compete successfully unless a wide range of people are given concrete reasons to prefer it before the iPhone5 becomes a tangible event on the near horizon.  There are lots of good reasons to prefer a leading-edge Android phone with Google’s and Verizon’s commitment to keep its OS current, but not many reasons at all to prefer the latest Samsung messaging widgets and a bunch of trash apps that anyone who wanted could download for free.  Phone makers compete on hardware, so that differences in the proprietary Android skin aren’t going to be as important as things like the Bionic’s disappointing screen quality.  The reason that Apple comes across as premium is that they have the confidence to do things the way they think is the best way to do them.  The Android phone makers and to some extent carriers are coming across as insecure hucksters and game-players.  If this thing really is going to be a Nexus, Google should be the one to crack the whip and get people to do it right, but I guess they don’t have the greatest record for doing that.

  21. Dihasmail

    09/18/2011 at 4:52 am

    I’m waiting……..since July 1st

  22. Anonymous

    09/18/2011 at 4:20 pm

    What Android phones need to do in order to compete with the iphone 5 is shrink!  Somebody tell the Android manufacturers that bigger is not better, please.  We are looking for smartphones here, not mini-tablets. 

  23. Michael Messmann

    09/20/2011 at 6:13 pm

    irregardless…

  24. Afrojujuh

    09/23/2011 at 3:43 pm

    Absolutely love the Android OS, the anticipation of the Ice Cream Sandwich is to the roof right now. Pure Android is ridiculously fantastic on my nexus s. Sometimes I hope that apple outsells the Nexus Prime so that I can be one of the unique few who have the best kept secrets. Dont want to own a smartphone that every one else owns, instead I want to keep revealing an unknown kick ass device when the Apple zombies think they have the best there is and walk away smiling.

  25. Theee MAN!!!

    09/23/2011 at 7:08 pm

    Ok here is some common sense for all those who are bitching and moaning here like little kids who want ice and candy!!!!

    Read Carefully and think about my words when you rest your pretty head on your pillows tonight:

    Android will never beat the iPhone eye-candy wise. It’s easier to compare 100’s of Android phones to only one device (iPhone) which is pretty like an exotic item vs. comparing 100’s to 100’s. Now features, OS flexibility wise the Android has the iOs beaten long time ago and I doubt that iOs will ever beat Android in that aspect.

    Android will beat the iPhone eye-candy wise only in a case where Apple and other Manufacturers start producing other brands of phones that run on iOS.

    Enjoy your friday noobies!

    PS. Proud Owner of a Motorola Bionic!

  26. Lkp730

    09/24/2011 at 4:14 pm

    If verizon or apple released info about their upcoming lines earlier, people would wait to buy phones. This means that they would lose profit during the time when they released that information to the time when the phone gets released. The droid bionic was released not too long ago. Imagine how releasing info on the droid prime would affect the sales of the bionic. As for apple, they dont release info about their products until they’re really close to their release date.

  27. Martin Coetzee

    09/27/2011 at 5:22 pm

    “irregardless”???
    https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irregardless
    Usage note
    Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less.

    • The Linguist

      09/27/2011 at 6:32 pm

      I wonder why those people are allowed to comment or trying to be in a convo sometimes when they can’t use proper wording!

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