Ken Segall, the marketing man responsible for Apple’s “Think Different” campaign as well as for putting the “i” in “iMac,” has a message for Apple:

Samsung is crushing you right now.

At least in terms of advertising. In a new post on his blog Observatory, Segall argues that Apple is losing its vice grip on the being the “master of buzz creation.”

Here’s what he has to say about Apple’s current ad-battles with Samsung.

…Samsung’s message has proven to be tremendously potent. The company continues to bash away at Apple, delivering ads that are well produced, well written and seem to be striking a nerve.

In contrast to Apple, which has been sticking to its product-based ads, Samsung has been scoring points with its people-based ads — most of which play off some growing negative perceptions about Apple.

Apple has been the master of buzz creation going all the way back to the first iMac. It just isn’t buzzing quite like it used to. Momentum has been lost. Not all of that is Apple’s fault, but some of it certainly is.

Samsung invested in a two-minute Super Bowl ad; Apple chose to remain silent. Samsung created a new story for the Oscars, tapping the eccentric Tim Burton; Apple ran only a variation of its more traditional product-centric campaign.

Segall goes to to say that Apple needs to “recalibrate.”

“I imagine Apple is feeling a bit like Obama after his first debate with Romney. It deeply believes in its ideas; it just needs to express them more forcefully”

Last week, another big name in Apple’s history, Steve Wozniak made public his own criticisms of the company’s current state. In an interview, Wozniak lamented that Apple may be losing its cool factor.

[Observatory via Fortune]