Sticks and Stones, Nokia!
September 19, 2012 was a good day for HTC, the company making headlines more so for its slipping relevance in the smartphone market rather than its innovation and sales numbers. Headlines for the day’s event may bring the Taiwanese company good news after its big reveal for its new Windows Phone 8 devices. The HTC 8X and HTC 8S are colorful, boast higher-end and mid-range specs, respectively, and will come to market in November via AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless – yes, Verizon!
After much scanning, praise for HTC seems to outnumber the cat calls on blog comment sections and forums, as it seems they have a real contender on their hands. One company, on the other hand, doesn’t want you to believe that. Nokia’s EVP of Sales and Marketing Chris Web had a quick jab for HTC. Web tweeted:
To say the least, this isn’t overtly negative or even that harmful, but let’s remember what is at stake. Nokia is known as Microsoft’s biggest OEM partner for Windows Phone, and having Samsung and HTC back in the saddle ought to worry them. However, is it good marketing to send a tweet with a less than friendly tone? Teasing, taunting and or demeaning the competition is typically a sign of weakness. Mr. Web is an EVP of Sales and Marketing, so there’s no doubt he knows his stuff, so it’s puzzling the concept of subtly was lost on him. Call the motive passion if you must, but there’s a way to say something without actually saying it.
To that end, I issued Mr. Web a challenge:
To my delight, he responded:
Well done, Mr. Web. A company at Nokia’s level has to be careful with its messaging at all levels, employee Twitter accounts included. Friendly competition is always appreciated, but there’s something that turns me off when companies attack other companies when it’s not merited. Both HTC and Nokia make great products, and it’s now up to their marketing folks to convince me which phone is worthy of my upgrade come December 15th. Get to work, Mr. Web.
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