Robert Downey Jr Pitches HTC One M8 And He's Serious In Olde English
HTC doesn't have a problem building high-end handsets that stand up to the competition. The HTC One is evidence of that. However, hardware will only get you so far, and without proper marketing, you'll get buried under a sea of Galaxy and iPhone devices, which is where HTC finds itself now. HTC doesn't spend nearly as much as Samsung or Apple on marketing, though perhaps bringing back Robert Downey Jr. to pitch the HTC One M8 is a sign of things to come.
This is the guy who plays Iron Man, after all, as well as Sherlock Holmes and several other high profile roles. He was also a pitchman for HTC's brand last year in a handful of ads promoting "HTChange." Unfortunately for HTC, the ads were a bit weird to get their point across, and ultimately unsuccessful if you look at where HTC stands among the competition today.
The latest ad featuring Downey Jr. focuses on the new HTC One M8 and is a much better attempt from HTC, though will it be enough to win over fans who might be considering the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5S? Have a look for yourself:
This is the guy who plays Iron Man, after all, as well as Sherlock Holmes and several other high profile roles. He was also a pitchman for HTC's brand last year in a handful of ads promoting "HTChange." Unfortunately for HTC, the ads were a bit weird to get their point across, and ultimately unsuccessful if you look at where HTC stands among the competition today.
The latest ad featuring Downey Jr. focuses on the new HTC One M8 and is a much better attempt from HTC, though will it be enough to win over fans who might be considering the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5S? Have a look for yourself:
"I highly suggest you get your own as I shall defend this one with my very life," Downey Jr. says in an olde English accent, referring to his pre-release HTC One M8. "Do it now or I shall be possessed with the most foul spirit," he continues.
So it's still a little weird, though it's not an empty pitch. At the beginning of the clip, Downey Jr. points out that HTC walked away with the 2014 Smartphone of the Year award at Mobile World Congress, marking the second year in a row HTC has won the award.
Regardless of how you feel about the ad, HTC needs more of them. To put things into perspective, Samsung spent $363 million into marketing its devices in the U.S. last year, staying just ahead of Apple, which spent $350.9 million. And HTC? Just $75.8 million
So it's still a little weird, though it's not an empty pitch. At the beginning of the clip, Downey Jr. points out that HTC walked away with the 2014 Smartphone of the Year award at Mobile World Congress, marking the second year in a row HTC has won the award.
Regardless of how you feel about the ad, HTC needs more of them. To put things into perspective, Samsung spent $363 million into marketing its devices in the U.S. last year, staying just ahead of Apple, which spent $350.9 million. And HTC? Just $75.8 million
