Tom Brady Drags Top Smartphone Brands Apple And Samsung Into "Deflate-Gate"
When a regular guy throws out his Android and swaps it for an iPhone then rants about it on Facebook, nobody bats an eyelash. But when New England Patriots’ quarterback and supermodel Gisele Bündchen’s husband Tom Brady says that he just did, all the news outfits, from straight news to sports-centric, and even the tabloids and entertainment blogs, will talk about it.
Especially since that Facebook rant means a loss of over $600,000 for Samsung, and a gain of around $733,000 in the form of free advertising for Apple.
Tom Brady was disciplined by the New England Patriots when news broke out that he requested that footballs he used would be deflated to a softness beneath the NFL’s standard, because he preferred his footballs a little softer than mandated. The NFL swooped in to investigate whether Tom Brady did persuade Patriots staff to do that for him. One of the methods the NFL wanted to incorporate in their investigations was to check Brady’s cellular phone for message exchanges between him and the staff. Tom Brady refused, via his lawyers, to hand over his phone. According to the Supreme Court of the United States of America, a private citizen’s cellular phone is private property, and no one could subpoena the device for investigation purposes.
Either way, Tom Brady stated that his Samsung was broken, and that he swapped it for an iPhone, too.
With the mention of brands, as well as the way they were dragged into the controversy of the hour, Brady’s move definitely has implications for either company. Indeed, as mentioned, CBS Sports has estimated Samsung’s losses at $600,000, and Apple’s gain at $733,000. Whether that speculation will, indeed translate into real-world marketing statistics is a different thing altogether.
Maybe Tom Brady was dropping hints as to whom he’d like to receive endorsement proposals from. Maybe he’s just stating facts as they are. Or maybe it’s high time that Android OEMs ensure that messages and communications are more secure on Androids. Either way, Tom Brady has spoken; he’s now over at Team iPhone.