HTC has been known, specifically with the release of the One M8, to add celebrities and remove details and specific promotion. Gary Oldman and Robert Downey Jr. have both been big names associated with raising brand awareness and ‘hipness’ levels in the past year, so why should we buy the device you paid someone to hold or guess the meaning of the manufacturers name? Because the famous folk said so, and if they said so, it must be done?
HTC, for their latest advertisement, have abandoned the idea that famous people are the best way to sell a device to the overage consumer. The ad features the HTC Desire 816, and only the 816. For those who may not have a perfect memory, the Desire 816 is pretty stellar in the specifications corner. It has a 5.5″ full HD (1080 by 1920) display, powered by a quad-core processor running at 1.6 Ghz paired with a gigabyte and a half of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 13 mp back camera, a 5 mp front camera, and, of course, those powerful BoomSound speakers to make watching videos and listening to music the best it can be. Oh, and the device costs under $450 (USD) to get your hands on. Sound like it just sold itself to you, without even needing a video advertisement? HTC thought so.
The advertisement by HTC highlights some of the key features, such as the glossy body, the 13 and 5 mp cameras which are great for selfies and moment-capturing, the BoomSound speakers on the front of the device for big sound, and the full HD 5.5″ screen to see everything on. Is there a celebrity? Nope. Will there be any special partnerships? Probably not, besides your pockets and social media. Is this the right way to market a device, relying on the device and the features to sell itself? Definitely. This is a welcome change to HTC previous marketing with spokespeople, and we hope to see more of it to come, not just for the Desire 816, but spreading the ‘real advertising’ to future device campaigns.