Samsung outspent Apple on advertising last year, $401 million to $333 million, reversing a nearly three to one Apple advantage reported in 2011, according to Kantar Media. Samsung's "Next Big Thing" campaign, which often poked fun at Apple fans, gave the South Korean manufacturer the global lead in smartphone sales, with a 30.3% share, per IDC. The advantage of greater marketing budgets has grown in importance for device-makers, said Fared Adib, Sprint Nextel's senior vice president of product development, because carriers spend more time marketing such things as service plans and less on actual products.