Samsung hires a real Tim Cook to advertise the Galaxy Z Fold8

Samsung has found a cheeky way to promote the Galaxy Z Fold8 following Apple’s entry into the foldable market: the company has hired a real Tim Cook — just not the one who recently served as Apple’s CEO. In a new campaign from Samsung New Zealand, the company puts its latest foldable phone in the hands of a real estate agent named Tim Cook.

The “other” Tim Cook is a property agent with Harcourts in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Samsung’s short social-media clip introduces him with the line, “Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it’s about Galaxy,” before handing him the Galaxy Z Fold8.

The timing is hardly accidental. Apple recently unveiled its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, entering a category Samsung has occupied since it launched the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. Samsung has already built its recent “Welcome to Foldables” marketing around that head start. Apple’s arrival gives Samsung a new reason to bring up its experience — and another opportunity to tease its rival.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 launched in July with a 5.5-inch cover display, a 7.6-inch inner screen and a 201-gram body that Samsung calls its lightest Fold yet. Its book-style design puts it head-to-head with the iPhone Duo, which also has a 7.6-inch internal display but weighs 254 grams.

Samsung has a long history of using Apple and the iPhone as targets in its advertising, often poking fun at its rival’s design choices and missing features. This campaign continues that tradition with a particularly simple joke: Samsung now has a Tim Cook of its own.