The Wall Street Journal recently reported that HTC will be getting a new marketing executive in January, with a goal of “refocusing HTC’s efforts around holistic marketing and mass-market brand outreach.” Benjamin Ho is a former CMO at Motorola and is currently the marketing guru at the Taiwanese cell carrier FarEasTone. His first marketing project at HTC has been dubbed “Marketing 2.0.”
HTC’s current marketing guy, Jason Mackenzie, will remain at the company, focusing on sales strategy instead.
Of course, this executive shuffle is all because HTC’s sales have been hurting lately, and the company is becoming less profitable. While Apple might be partly to blame (especially with all the patent fights), HTC has really lost a lot of market share to Samsung, as well. But does HTC really need a new marketing person who will be paid millions of dollars to come in and tell the company what it needs to do to turn itself around?
Here’s my three step plan to turn HTC around:
- Update your current Android lineup to Jelly Bean, including the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Like, right now. Just do it.
- When Key Lime Pie comes out, approve all the overtime you need in order to get an update pushed out within a month.
- Make developer preview ROMs available even earlier on HTCdev.com for those of us who don’t mind beta testing the latest software. That way, we power users also won’t have to wait for carrier approval.
Do that, and the customers will flock to HTC. What would you add to this list?
That about does it. HTC makes awesome phones. Every Evo I owned made Iphone owners jealous. The new DNA is sweet! But if they cannot be prompt with proper product support and backup it up. Then they may as well build the best phone nobody ever buys cuz they aren’t putting consumers first.
Also make your staff aware of what is going on so every one has the same answer. Rather than getting 7 different answers when you ask them questions. But yea those things would be awesome.
Your right HTC makes some of the best phones out there but has lost focus, The EVO LTE is the flagship of Sprint and If I was Benjamin Ho my first question to CEO Dan at Sprint would be why the push with Samsung, The original EVO put Sprint and HTC back in the game and The EVO LTE is a super phone but it seems to be have been pushed to the wayside from the customs debacle to Jelly Bean and to LTE being available in all Sprint markets. I hope Ho puts the screws to Sprint and makes them realize what a cluster this has been for both sides.
I have not been excited for a HTC product since the original Tilt. The Tilt 2 was not much of an upgrade, and the HD 2 didn’t come out on my carrier.
And the DLX or DNA are no completion for the Samsung Note 2.
I will “vote” with my wallet. Sorry HTC, give me an SD card slot, for a start. And some ear buds in the box.
Peace
Sorry, DNA or DLX are no COMPETITION to the Samsung Note 2.
Damn auto correct.
Simple. SD cards in all phones or at least 32GB of on board memory if they exclude the sd card slot, I don’t care how energy efficient they make the phone include a BIGGER battery no less than 2400mah I don’t wanna here they can’t still make it thin because that logic went out the window when Motorola got the razor and razor max so there is no excuse anymore! Next carrier exclusives has to STOP if they are to win against Samsung I know this would mean the end of the EVO line but so be it. One carrier of customers vs 4 carriers of customers there is no comparison also not everyone lives in a good coverage area of that carrier exclusive. UPDATES should take no more than 2 months after Google releases them to the nexus line, and finally they need to ADVERTISE I can count on my hands how many HTC commercials I’ve seen compared to Samsung. So this is good news I personally would have fired the other guy. NEW SLOGAN in today’s market you can be anything but QUIETLY BRILLIANT look at Samsung for example they take shots at apple every chance they get on commercials and they WIN! A quick sum up
1. SD or at least 32GB on board
2. At least 2400mah batteries
3. Carrier exclusives hurt sales
4. Updates no more that 2 months after nexus line
5. Advertise advertise advertise!
6. New slogan and be more aggressive
Steps 1-6 = HTC FTW!
Today was the last straw for HTC EVO and SPRINT WITH there FAKE 4g LTE I live in the Big Apple and I only get half ass 3 g and forget phone service try making a call on the FDR drive zero service from the Battery to the RFK bridge and the best thing is were paying for all the bells and whistles and I feel like my phone has a string tied to it,I have been a sprint customer seems like forever,after today I made a stop at a Verzion store only to see the had the best service and fastest 4 g service as per Yahoo,guess what on fri I am trading in and moving on Bye Sprint
I disagree with this author. An average user doesn’t care about having the latest version of Android. They don’t care about developers getting ROMs.
That is not Marketing. That is somethign else- the inner workings of how HTC is dealing with their software.
HTC does about 0 marketing currently. Versus samsung who is making parody commercials of Apple, promoting galaxy s 3 and note II out that wazoo, and promoting different colors of phones, offering their phones on all carriers, and only making one/two flagship phones.
They need to learn from samsung and promote and be free on carriers. Consumers aren’t going to buy phones they dont know about.
The average user wants a phone that works. Transitioning to Jelly Bean probably would be the logical step in making their malfunctioning Ice Cream Sandwich Sense work.
Therefor, I think the average user wants that.
+1…
Also, HTC promised less phones and better maintenance of their current phones. I don’t think they’ve held up their end of the deal…
HTC treat all customers the same. If your going to update the one x a similar phone then the evo should be updated as well. Also give your customers answers. It kills me HTC but with how I’ve been pushed aside by you with the evo lte I won’t be buying another HTC product.
I’m leaning your way man… It’s the lack of acknowledgement and silence that’s been killing EVO LTE owners. First acknowledge the phone exists, and give a time frame of when it will be updated. Marc below is also correct, trim Sense down some… Include 2 GB so the phone milti-tasks correctly. This may be it for me and HTC/Sprint. 2013 will be a different year on my end… It’s been a nice ride.
You forgot 4. Scrap sense. Keep your custom icons and widgets and camera, but kill everything else sense related. It’s a waste of time and money and is partially to blame for slow updates. Android has come a long way and sense is no longer the necessity it once was.
Agree with all this, they make quality products but don’t put out ads, carrier exclusive is a killer. I got hit hard with the view, having had all variants of the EVO line I was like they better not mess up the LTE…guess what here we go again. Yes they need to update as its what makes android a better experience. Someone at HTC should reallllly read what’s being said on the net. Being close minded is dooming the company.
Please create an smartphone with an 5.5 screen so I won’t want the galaxy note, I don’t want Samsung I don’t like the name or the cheap and square plastic they create,
HTC phones are made with fill good material and much more attractive to the eye. You can do it HTC.
I agree with the 5.5″, but I also need comparable specs, and an SD card.
This is where HTC falls short lately.
I like HTC look and build.
Just give it to me in one huge package! Like today, because I am ready to buy the S Note 2, already have a case picked out!
Peace
Ahhh MBA buzzwords from HTC…gotta’ love it.
Long time EVO users like myself bailing out in droves to Sammy and they’re “Refocusing”…lol.
In the distance if you listen closely you can hear the faint strains of Nero and his fiddle whilst Rome burns.
Scrap most of sense. I agree it isn’t as needed with jellybean anymore. I want the newest google OS fast. With an Evo 4G LTE, I should have jellybean already. I owned 2 HTC phones flagship Evo and this one. I felt I was treated better with the 1st evo than this one. I loathe Samsung, they have crappy builds. I also want a 5.5 screen so I won’t want the galaxy note. Please HTC relaize what we want.
I stuck with the Evo line cuz it is one of the best products out there, but without backing their products. It may as well be just a phone.