administrative sciences
Article
Samsung vs. Apple: How Different Communication Strategies
Affect Consumers in Portugal
Margarida Almeida1,†, Eva Sousa1,†, Carolina Rodrigues1,†, Maria Beatriz Candeias1,†and
Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira2,*
Citation:Almeida, Margarida,
Eva Sousa, Carolina Rodrigues,
Maria Beatriz Candeias, and
Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira. 2021.
Samsung vs. Apple: How Different
Communication Strategies Affect
Consumers in Portugal.
Administrative Sciences 11:19.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
admsci11010019
Received: 29 December 2020
Accepted: 8 February 2021
Published: 20 February 2021
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1 Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; mralmeida@ua.pt (M.A.);
evasousa07@ua.pt (E.S.); carolina.isa @ua.pt (C.R.); mariabcandeias@ua.pt (M.B.C.)2 INESC TEC, GOVCOPP, Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism,
University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
* Correspondence: mao@ua.pt
† These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract:It is indisputable that technology is present in everyday life.In this digital era, brands
need to adapt to the changing pace of the needs and desires of society to distinguish themselves
from their adversaries, especially in the electronic environment. Hence, they must have well-defined
and successful marketing and advertising strategies to achieve a place on the podium of preference
of consumers.This work intends to understand how the communication strategies of Apple and
Samsung affect the decisions of consumers in Portugal to buy electronic devices. To this end, a survey
was conducted, and the responses of 700 individuals who reside in Portugal were analysed through
descriptive and inferential (chi-square test of independence) statistics. The survey results show that
cost-benefit, price, technical specifications, and performance are the characteristics that weigh the
most when purchasing electronic devices, as well as the perceived prestige of the brand. Additionally,
an association was found between having only one device and having more products of the brand,
with Apple users having more frequently more than one of the brand’s products than Samsung users.
We thus concluded that Apple consumers are more loyal. It was also found that the store where the
devices are brought is not independent, in Portugal, of the brand of the devices.Apple users buy
more brand products from the brand store, both physical and online, than Samsung users. Finally,
advertisements and word-of-mouth were found to be fundamental for consumers to acknowledge
brand devices, and the degree in which this happens is also not independent of the brand, in Portugal,
as a chi-square independence test showed.
Keywords: Samsung; Apple; marketing strategy; social media; advertisement
1. Introduction
Technology is revolutionizing the world.Everyone is increasingly more dependent
on technological devices such as smartphones, tablets, and personal computers (AgingIn-
Place 2020) to travel, communicate, learn, and work (Lajoso et al. 2020).Both Apple and
Samsung are reference brands for these devices, having been market leaders for several
years in the telephone market, and also in what concerns shares and advertisement invest-
ment(Fondevila-Gascón et al. 2020). According to (Interbrand 2020), Apple is considered,
in 2020, the best global brand with 38% growth and $322.999 m brand value under the tech-
nology sector. Samsung is number 5 in the same rating, with only 2% growth and $62.289
m brand value.Both these brands are also between the five most innovative companies,
according to Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) 2020’s annual report (Columbus 2020).
Innovation is essential for companies that develop leading-edge products, such as
Apple and Samsung. However, they need to master product life cycle management and
have world-class consumer-insight skills so they can focus on consumers’ needs and on
Adm. Sci. 2021, 11, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11010019 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/admsci

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