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HTC senior execs resign ahead of smart wearable launch
HTC may be back on its road to recovery thanks to its One (M8) flagship phone, but it's now facing yet another managerial change. According to Bloomberg's Tim Culpan, the phone maker's marketing chief Ben Ho has just resigned, making it a rather short stint since he joined a little over a year and a half ago. Our own sources implied that this had been expected for a while, and that the $1 billion "Here's To Change" marketing campaign was the main culprit, as it failed to get its money's worth in return (despite chairwoman Cher Wang being a big fan of the hipster trolls featured in the ads). While Ho has already been relieved of CMO duties, he will remain at HTC until end of this year.
Hold This Cat: HTC and Robert Downey Jr. kick off $1 billion 'Change' campaign (update: full video)
"Big things ahead?" Well, it looks like HTC's earlier tweet wasn't a cheeky hint at the upcoming 5.9-inch One Max; but rather, it was a tribute to the sheer scale of the new "Here's To Change" global ad campaign. The company has just confirmed that it did indeed sign Robert Downey Jr. for a two-year deal, which includes starring him in the ads as well as getting his creative input in the process. Given CMO Ben Ho's promise to make the company's voice louder, it's no surprise that he's spending the same amount as last year's worldwide sales and marketing budget -- about $1 billion -- on this campaign alone, according to an HTC spokesperson. Not bad for Ho's first big act since he joined the company towards the end of last year. We were also told that the entire "Change" campaign should cover the span of 24 to 36 months, during which it'll be split into three phases. As part of the first phase, come Thursday a whacky two-minute TV ad will begin to air in key markets, featuring Downey and his fellow actors blurting out what "HTC" could stand for -- "Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran," "Hipster Troll Carwash," "Hold This Cat" and more -- in order "to invoke interest and talkability amongst consumers." Interestingly, you won't find many mentions of any HTC phone in the first full ad, but the subsequent phases of the campaign will eventually focus on the mobile features. There's no word on the timeframe for each phase just yet due to all sorts of variables. It remains to be seen whether Downey's contribution will help drive sales numbers, something that HTC desperately needs to just about survive these days. Perhaps an Iron Man special edition One could be considered? Yes please. Anyhow, press release after the break. Update: We've now embedded the full two-minute TV ad after the break.
HTC VP of Global Communications leaves post, Chief Product Officer said to follow suit
HTC seems to be encountering a bit of executive brain drain. Jason Gordon, the firm's vice president of global communications, revealed on Twitter that he ended his nearly seven-year-long stint with the handset maker last Friday, but didn't divulge why he left or what his future plans include. Now, The Verge is reporting that Chief Product Officer Kouji Kodera has also flown the coop, following a handful of other execs. According to the outlet's sources, Chief Marketing Officer Ben Ho could be partly responsible for the changes since he's said to be moving the outfit's planning and strategy back to its Taipei HQ. With Peter Chou pinning poor marketing as what held the company back in 2012, it's certainly possible things are being reeled back to home base -- not unlike Nokia's own centralization in recent years. We've reached out to HTC to confirm Kodera's exit and just what the departures mean for the organization as a whole. Update: HTC confirmed the departures of Jason Gordon and Kouji Kodera.
HTC Butterfly said to be getting a sequel, thanks to strong sales in Asia
It's anyone's guess how the HTC One will fare in the West. After all, quality doesn't guarantee success. If we look across to Asia, though, we can see that the One's counterpart in that hemisphere, the Butterfly, has already gained some traction. Supply has failed to meet demand in its Taiwanese homeland and, according to Focus Taiwan, the phone has enjoyed "brisk sales" in Japan too -- at one point toppling the iPhone 5 to become KDDI's bestselling handset. There's been sufficient interest, in fact, that HTC's marketing boss Ben Ho has been quoted as promising a successor to the Butterfly, which will carry the same brand name. He didn't say when a Butterfly II might arrive, or what new "innovations" it might deliver, but it's an encouraging sign nonetheless.
HTC drops 'Quietly Brilliant' slogan, promises more aggressive marketing
With things getting just a little bit too quiet in HTC's finance department, the marketing folks across the corridor have come up with a solution: drop the old "Quietly Brilliant" tagline in favor of something bolder. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, HTC's new chief marketing officer, Ben Ho, said the company "hasn't been loud enough" in presenting its innovations. He didn't go as far as detailing a new motto, but after his recent remarks about the Galaxy S 4 we're expecting something punchy.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: HTC's CMO Ben Ho says the Galaxy S 4 is just 'more of the same'
First it was Apple, then LG, and now we have HTC also trolling Samsung's Galaxy S 4 launch in New York. Before the doors opened at Radio City Music Hall, the Taiwanese company kindly gave out hot cocoa and snacks while showing off the One to folks lined up in the cold outside, as well as to the public in Times Square (see video after the break). This was followed by HTC's complementary entertainment during Samsung's event with a series of surprisingly relentless tweets -- one of which even bore the hash tag "#theNextBigFlop" to mock Samsung's "The Next Big Thing" slogan. Ouch. To wrap up the day, HTC's fresh CMO Ben Ho got in touch (by way of a PR agency) to say that the again-plastic Galaxy S 4 is just "more of the same," and that his company's "all-aluminum unibody HTC One" with "original cutting-edge technology, mouth-watering design and a premium feel" is really what people are after. Here's his full statement: "With a continuation of a plastic body, and a larger screen being the most obvious physical change, Samsung's new Galaxy pales in comparison to the all-aluminum unibody HTC One. "This is more of the same. HTC remains the best option for those people looking for the best technology wrapped in premium design. Our customers want something different from the mainstream, who appear to be the target for the Galaxy. "Our customers want original cutting-edge technology, mouth-watering design and a premium feel from their mobiles, which is why we created the HTC One." Looks like "quietly brilliant" is no more for HTC then? Update: Ben Ho got back to us with another nugget, this time taking a quick jab at the software features on Samsung's latest flagship device. It's short and sweet (and also spicy): "Looking at the software features of the S4, we think Samsung spent more on marketing than innovation."
