HTC has posted on YouTube their first television advertisement to run in the United States. The ad kicks off HTC’s mass media campaign, set to promote HTC in print, television, and online.
The leading smartphone manufacturer has struggled in advertising its brand in North America. After five years of selling HTC devices through carriers, the company recently began to brand its devices with the HTC brand, rather than a carrier’s generic branding. Such efforts still are not complete, with Verizon Wireless being the last major holdout to endorsing HTC as its own brand. The XV6900 (HTC Touch) makes no mention of HTC on the external hardware.
The initial campaign will focus solely on the HTC Touch Dual. The Touch Dual is considered safe ground for HTC to promote, as it will be the first HTC smartphone intended for unlocked sale in the United States. Promoting other devices such as the HTC Mogul, T-Mobile WIng, or HTC Touch would cause brand confusion. The HTC Shift also has similar brand issues, as the UMPC market is not mainstream to HTC’s sales.
