Samsung decided to take a dig at Apple following the launch of the first foldable iPhone Duo and found a man in New Zealand called Tim Cook, who also bears a striking resemblance to the former Apple CEO. Samsung’s New Zealand division featured him in an advert for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with the message that «Tim Cook has switched to Galaxy». The campaign was launched immediately after the release of the iPhone Duo, with which Samsung is now in direct competition in the foldable smartphone market.
- Samsung has found a man called Tim Cook in New Zealand.
- He starred in the advert for the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
- The campaign plays on the name of Apple’s former CEO.
- The advert was launched immediately after the presentation of the foldable iPhone Duo.
«Tim Cook has switched to a Galaxy»
On 11 September, Samsung New Zealand launched an advertising campaign featuring a man named Tim Cook, who lives in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
In the promotional video, he is sitting with Galaxy Z Fold 8 in his hands, whilst his name — Tim Cook — is written in large letters on the back.
In its post, Samsung first intrigues its audience by stating that «Tim Cook has switched to a Galaxy», and only then clarifies that he is referring to Tim Cook from Palmerston North.
The company rounded off the joke with a question for users: «Which Tim Cook did you think of?».
Samsung has copied Apple’s presentation style
The advert stood out even more because Samsung stylistically emulated Apple’s signature promotional videos.
The Verge points out that the advert featuring New Zealander Tim Cook is reminiscent of Apple’s cinematic videos announcing new product launches. In the advert, the protagonist from Galaxy Z Fold 8 states that «The future is already here».
Samsung even managed to outdo a recently updated photo of the real Tim Cook on social media.
In this way, the company was able to capitalise on the name of its long-standing rival without, in effect, featuring the former Apple chief himself in the advert.
The campaign was launched following the launch of the iPhone Duo
Samsung did not choose the timing of its advertising campaign by chance.
Apple on 10 September only presented iPhone Duo — its first foldable smartphone. The model is being launched in a market where Samsung has been operating for many years and where it unveiled the eighth generation of the Galaxy Z Fold this summer.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 was unveiled in July 2026, and global sales of the new generation began in August. Samsung is marketing it as a lightweight foldable smartphone with a wide external display and a large internal screen.
The new iPhone Duo uses a similar ‘book-style’ design, so its launch has effectively made Apple a direct competitor to Samsung in this segment.
Samsung has been trolling Apple for several days now
The «Tim Cook» campaign was just one part of a much larger advertising campaign launched by Samsung following Apple’s presentation.
The company’s US division has published a series of sarcastic posts, pointing out that Samsung produces foldable smartphones with 2019.
In one of its posts, the company effectively accused Apple by repeating ideas we are already familiar with, writing: «Let us know when you’ve finished reheating our leftovers».
Samsung also poked fun at the name ‘iPhone Duo’ by referencing Duolingo, and continued to promote the hashtag #ItsTimeToSwitch, urging iPhone owners to switch to Galaxy.
Samsung and Apple have been trolling each other for many years
Samsung’s public jibes at Apple are by no means a new strategy.
More than ten years ago, the company released an advert in which it poked fun at iPhone fans who queued for hours to get their hands on the latest smartphones.
Samsung later produced a whole series of videos Ingenius, which parodied the Apple Genius Bar and highlighted features that the iPhone didn’t have at the time.
Foldable smartphones have now become the main battleground in the advertising war. Samsung is seeking to use its many years of experience in this segment as its key selling point against Apple, which only unveiled its first Fold-style iPhone in 2026.
