“Here’s to Change” is a 16 seconds advertising teaser starring Robert Downey Jr. who has signed a two-year contract with the Taiwanese manufacturer, HTC. The first advertising campaign will appear on YouTube, in a couple of days. The YouTube ad will be followed by several TV and cinema spots.
According to HTC, the ad campaign had a staggering budget of $1 billion. As a curiosity, Downey Jr. will receive for his “support and contribution” $12 million. Until now, all we’ve got from the teaser is a “Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran” and a “Here’s To Change”, as a conclusion. That, pretty much, explains everything, isn’t it?!
As expected, the Hollywood star was also involved into the creative process, working closely with the creative team and generating a series of interpretations for the HTC acronym. The ads that are about to follow are more about the brand itself and less about the products, pointing out the value of the brand and raising the trust.
So, why did HTC choose Downey for the “Change” ads? Tom Harlin, HTC’s PR Director explains: “He has a different approach to Hollywood just as we’ve had a different approach to consumer technology.”
Press Release:
Taipei, Taiwan – 12 August 2013 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today unveiled its most ambitious campaign to date. A long-term integrated strategy that celebrates HTC’s 17 years of disruption and innovation in the mobile industry, the Change brand platform will embody the message that HTC inspires innovation by standing for “anything you want it to”. Featuring a broad range of digital, social, PR and above the line activity, the global Change platform will kick off with a series of ad creative fronted by Robert Downey Jr. which hits a broad spectrum of media outlets on August 15th.
With Robert Downey Jr. as the instigator of change, the creative ads explore imaginative HTC word associations to invoke interest and talkability amongst consumers. The narrative follows the well- known actor and director as he kicks-off the realm of change made possible by HTC. Designed to demonstrate HTC’s role as a change maker the ad creative will feature a range of possible HTC acronyms including Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran and Hipster Troll Carwash. This will be supported by a series of social engagement and experiential activities that will bring the campaign to life.
Ben Ho, CMO of HTC comments, “HTC’s innovation, authenticity and boldness have made us the change-makers in the mobile industry and led us to launch what influencers regard as the best phone in the world, the HTC One. Our original and playful Change platform is different to anything else out there and aligns our brand with the same qualities our phones are already known for. With this campaign, we are affirming what HTC’s role is in the mobile market which is to define change and to lead the industry in developing the newest and most innovative technologies.”
Shot on location in Miami and directed by Hungry Man’s Bryan Buckley, and featuring music composed by Beacon Street Studios in Los Angeles the first on-air ad creative will be supported by HTC’s biggest multi-channel social media, TV, print, outdoor and in-store campaign to date, and will be followed by KSP feature-led activity focused on the innovations of the award-winning HTC One smartphone family.
The face behind the Change
Recognised as one of the most popular faces on the big screen, Robert Downey Jr. has signed a two- year deal with HTC. In addition to starring in the ad, he has injected his own style, working closely with HTC’s global agency 171 Worldwide (WPP Group) to shape its creative direction, putting change at the core of HTC’s brand by offering a variety of unique interpretations of the HTC acronym.
Celebrating the change-makers
The brand platform will roll out in three phases with the initial advertising campaign highlighting HTC’s brand with a playful take on what it means to different people. The second phase will feature executions which highlight how HTC innovations-like BlinkFeed TM, Video Highlights TM and BoomSound TM-have changed the face of the mobile industry. The following ad spots will then focus on how HTC products empower individuals to drive change in their own lives.
Changing the media mix
Aligning with the preferences of HTC’s target audience, the ATL campaign will be heavily weighted to cinema, online and digital media. Experiential events in key markets, like the UK, US and Taiwan, will also bring the brand message to life for consumers, who will be able to experience the various creative interpretations of HTC for themselves. Extending the interpretation to consumers, a word randomiser app hosted on HTC.com and promoted via a range of social channels including Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, has also been developed to allow people to identify the most outlandish possible interpretations of HTC, building on the variety of permutations first introduced in the ATL campaign.
The Change ad creative was developed by HTC’s global agency 171 WorldWide ‘with the media’ campaign managed by Omnicom Group’s M2M Media and on-going PR activity provided by Nelson Bostock Group in EMEA and Waggener Edstrom in North America.
