Samsung stretches the truth: Promo uses actors, not real consumers

Samsung made quite an impression at CTIA last week with its new 10-inch Galaxy Tab. The remarkably thin machine has even been able to steal a little thunder from the iPad 2, so you’d think Samsung would be able to ride that without a phony promo. Turns out those “real people” from its new Galaxy Tab commercial were – gasp – not real!

Technologizer was first to realize that the real New Yorkers interviewed about their thoughts on the Galaxy Tab were actors. You can check out the clip below (the “true-life” consumer piece starts around the eight minute mark) and see that Samsung’s probably not fooling anyone: It’s got a pretty professional, produced feel and job titles like “freelance travel writer” and “independent film director” seem just a little too cool for a random sampling of consumers.

And a simple Google search by Technologizer revealed that the individuals from the commercial were paid actors, including one Karl Shefelman who works for a production company that’s collaborated with Samsung before. The search also failed to reveal any Joan Hess, freelance travel writer – but did come up with a Joan Hess, New York actress. It’s unclear whether Samsung was trying to fool us or if the company was simply using actors to play out the actual consumer stories.

Yikes, Samsung. Luckily, the Galaxy Tab sounds impressive enough to outshine the embarrassment.