HTC has revealed a new brand marketing campaign, introducing the “Here’s To Change,” tagline along with a new TV ad featuring Iron Man himself, actor Robert Downey Jr.. Downey isn’t just the star of the ads as according to the press release, he’ll be working with HTC’s marketing agency 171 Worldwide to help, “Shape the [campaign’s] creative direction.”
Updated on 08/14/2013 by Andy: We’ve added in the full commercial, which is decently funny!
Article originally published on 08/12/2013
The first phase is based around ads which play with the HTC acronym. No longer will it be associated with High Tech Computer Corporation, as many, “playful” interpretations will be introduced. The first ad gives us Humungous Tinfoil Catamaran, and gets crazier from there.
After all the fun and games, we’ll see ads related to HTC’s unique features, such as BlinkFeed and HTC Zoe, before moving on to those which show HTC hardware, “Empowering individuals to drive change in their own lives.” After posting the 16 second teaser video, HTC has now added the full, two minute version of the ad to its YouTube channel. It’s as bizarre as you’d expect really, with plenty more alternative suggestions for the acronym (including “Hold This Cat”), plus an actual tinfoil catamaran.
HTC, which has been struggling to keep up with Samsung in the smartphone market, hired a new Chief Marketing Officer earlier this year, kicked out its old marketing agency, and confirmed it would be dropping the aging Quietly Brilliant tagline. New CMO Benjamin Ho said the new PR push, known as Marketing 2.0, would be more bold, as the firm hadn’t made enough noise about its products in the past.
Big name stars acting as spokespeople isn’t anything new in the tech world, with BlackBerry working closely with Alicia Keys, Intel with Will.i.am, and Microsoft with just about anyone who’ll sign on the dotted line. Downey Jr. has signed a two-year deal with HTC.
Currently, the Here’s to Change program has to focus on the HTC One, but the flagship phone will soon be joined by the HTC One Mini, plus a larger version, dubbed the HTC One Max, is rumored to be on its way before the end of the year.
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