Its no secret that HTC has an image problem. The company itself has accepted that it needs to do more when it comes to marketing. Despite the fact that it has created some of the most well received high-end smartphones, they haven’t been able to compete against their rivals. Earlier in the week it was rumored that HTC had hired Paul Golden, a former US chief marketing officer from Samsung. HTC has confirmed the hiring, Golden initially has a three month contract and will report directly to HTC chairperson Cher Wang.
Golden’s LinkedIn page says that he “created and launched the highly successful Galaxy brand.” He worked at Samsung from 2008 to 2012, crucial years for the company during which it rose to global dominance on the back of its strong marketing. Samsung has never been shy of taking shots at Apple in its marketing efforts.
Last year HTC tried to turn its fortunes around by bringing Robert Downey Jr. onboard for a campaign. That apparently didn’t do much. This time around, for the HTC One M8, it tapped Gary Oldman. A-listers might be good as far as star power is concerned, but the ad man that helped Samsung reach new heights would certainly be a valuable addition to HTC’s marketing team.