Title	HTC : A HILARIOUS AND TREMENDOUSLY CREATIVE CAMPAIGN
Brand	HTC
Product/Service	HAPPY TELEPHONE COMPANY CAMPAIGN
Category	A07. USE OF SOCIAL IN A MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Advertising Agency	FUSE Boulogne Billancourt, FRANCE
Media Agency	PHD FRANCE Boulogne-Billancourt, FRANCE
Entrant Company	PHD FRANCE Boulogne-Billancourt, FRANCE

Name	Company	Position
Bertrand Beaudichon	PHD	Managing Director
Yannick Wittenauer	FUSE	Managing Director
Jaffredo Vincent	FUSE	Artistic Director
Sarah Mameri	FUSE	Strategic Planning
Sophie Epailly	PHD	Business Manager Senior
Maud Caixeiro	FUSE	Client Director
Marion Dessemme	PHD	Strategic Planning Manager

Results and Effectiveness

This was a Huge Triumphant Campaign as the community succeeded in creating engagement around HTC new platform. During the whole operation, HTC Facebook French page reached the best engagement rate worldwide. With nearly 8 million people reached by the campaign, an average number of comments tripled, and a share rate multiplied by 7, HTC succeeded to turn its fans into real “coolness” ambassadors, and exposed new people to its new brand positioning. But moreover, thanks to the “Happy Telephone Company”, geek has become definitely chic!

Creative Execution

We offered to fans a daily dose of sharable content, which they would be able to appropriate and relay, thanks to the “HTC Picture of the Day” activation. During one month, the brand twisted daily news with humor, while playing with H.T.C. letters, on its French social networks and on Minute Buzz (a referent French website dedicated to offbeat news.) Each day, HTC fans and followers discovered a new Hilarious and Tremendously Creative visual, to share with their own community and make their beloved brand image shine. For instance, when Disney organized auditions for the new Star Wars movie, an image of the King Lion with Princess Leia hair cut was posted with the punchline “Héros Tente Casting” (Heroes Tries Casting)… They also had to guess the “HTC pun of the day” or to suggest their own one, leading to a creative participation far beyond our expectations!

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Imagine that you’re 25 yo and you have to choose your new smartphone, what comes first between “hype” and technology? The answer seems obvious regarding Samsung and Apple market shares… HTC, recognized by experts as an innovative and high tech brand, suffers from a lack of coolness in France. Despite this, HTC gathers a wonderful French fan community which relays products news and preach for “their” smartphone brand. In 2013, HTC launched a new worldwide positioning: HAPPY TELEPHONE COMPANY, illustrating its DNA of innovation and creativity. A great opportunity for HTC to create engagement around the brand in a more offbeat way! Our challenge: On a category where advocacy and “coolness” are key, how could we give a more quirky image of HTC, and thus with a very limited budget? Why not using the HTC “geek” community and turn them into brand ambassadors of those new fun values?