HTC America: to know us is to love us: Smartphone maker tries to grow awareness

Technophiles and industry insiders chatter constantly about HTC America’s devices, with the savvy to look under the hood of carrier branding for the smartphone player partnered with Microsoft Corp.
The general public simply does not apply the same scrutiny. For HTC America, now in its fourth year as the American arm of the Taiwanese giant, HTC Corp., that’s a lost opportunity.
HTC America’s desire for recognition and, thus, brand loyalty in the United States’ upgrade market has moved the company to launch a fledgling, multimillion-dollar marketing campaign across the common media, including print, Web, TV, movies and billboards advertisements in three major U.S. markets.
The move makes a lot of sense for a notably humble company that got its foot in the door of the U.S. market by catering to carriers’ needs for technically innovative devices while acceding to carriers’ branding demands. That changed last year as HTC America managed to get its logo on its devices at Sprint Nextel Corp., AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA Inc. (though not at Verizon Wireless).
Big city branding
The new ads, running in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, take the theme “Set your fingers free” and use startling imagery to grab viewers’ attention to the vendor’s touchscreen devices and QWERTY-equipped multimedia, browsing and messaging devices. For the campaign, HTC America turned to 180, an Amsterdam- and Los Angeles-based creative agency that has worked for MTV, Adidas International, Bombay Sapphire and and BMW Motorcycles.
The campaign, now in its first phase until July, will expand and see greater investment as this first round in top U.S. media markets provides feedback on its effectiveness, according to Jason Mackenzie, VP of HTC America.
“Our theme continues to be that of the good, humble partner,” Mackenzie said. “But end-users had no concept of us as a distinct company, which made it impossible to build a loyal consumer base.”
Work with carriers
The campaign is designed to drive consumers to the retail outlets of HTC America’s carrier partners – which account for the bulk of U.S. device sales – while establishing the vendor’s own identity. The second phase, to kick in as the blow-out fourth quarter arrives, will integrate HTC America’s message with support from each of its carrier partners.
The print and video ads – you can search on YouTube – are designed to “engage consumers on an emotional level” while suggesting the “fun” and “innovation” inherent in the vendor’s devices, said Arti O’Brien, HTC America’s senior marketing manager.
So, can HTC America, which has grown from four employees to 100 in three years, go from relative anonymity to stardom in 2008?
“We play in a segment people are passionate about,” Mackenzie said. “HTC enthusiasts are out there. We’re not expecting instant gratification, but we can make incremental gains in our target market segments.”