HTC Hoping To Turn Things Around With New Marketing Head Benjamin Ho

It’s no secret that HTC has been getting its ass kicked in the smartphone market. It’s really quite sad to watch it happen, especially since HTC started this dream (see what I did there). HTC created the very first Android smartphone and even gave birth to the first Nexus smartphone. Their build quality was top notch and they were highly revered among the Android community. But something happened. We’re not sure where they lost it, but… they lost it.

I have my own theories on where HTC went wrong, but their analysts are blaming it on failed marketing. In hopes of rectifying that problem, HTC has undergone a few changes in their marketing department. First and foremost, they have hired a new marketing director, Benjamin Ho, from Taiwanese telecom operator Far EasTone (and former CMO of Motorola). Former marketing and sales chief Jason Mackenzie will now be focusing on sales strategy, while branding head John Wang is stepping down.

This shakeup comes in the wake of plummeting revenue, which is expected to fall 41% compared to Q4 figures last year. While they insist it’s a marketing issue, I’d beg the question of whether or not it’s marketing that got them into this situation in the first place. HTC has foolishly squandered its money away on what can only be called marketing/branding fluff. I mean, $300 million on Beats by Dre? What the hell were they thinking? They invested that money purely on a name, not any groundbreaking tech, just a name.

There’s a very good reason why Samsung is the only smartphone manufacturer making money and it’s one that HTC should start thinking about. Grab your notepad HTC, because this is how you do it:

  • Launch devices under the same name on multiple carriers (ex. Galaxy S III/Note II).
  • Launch your devices with the latest software and update new devices as quickly as possible.
  • Despite what companies such as Google/Motorola would like you to believe, customers do want microSD (or large storage capacity), they do want a removable battery (or at least a 3100mAh one), and they do want 2GB of RAM.

You have to have the mentality of Samsung, if there’s an option, include it. No one ever said: “I’m not buying that device because it has microSD,” or “I’m not buying that device because it has a removable battery.” However, you will hear people complain about the lack of those features and certainly those who will not buy a device without them. So why not just include them? Samsung does, and that’s why Samsung is winning this game by an absolute landslide.

You don’t have to believe me, I’m sure spending more money on marketing and a backdoor deal with Apple is exactly what your company needs to get out of its slump. Let me know how that goes.