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[分享] Can HTC avoid past mistakes in its latest incarnation?
kenny wang2015-7-25 22:04
http://mashable.com/2015/07/15/htc-reinvention/
lufax.com/activity/twhkmo-minisite
Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker
By Evan BlassJul 16, 2015
Analysis
Before HTC was the aspirational brand fronted by Robert Downey Jr., which it presents itself as today, it was a humble white-label manufacturer of mobile devices for other more established companies in the consumer electronics space.
Far from today's producer of handsets with a distinctive (and controversial) branded ""chin," this HTC eschewed the limelight, content with establishing a name for itself in the background alone.
See also: HTC goes color-crazy with three affordable new Desire smartphones
My own first exposure to the Taiwanese company was through PalmOS- and Windows Mobile-powered devices which it assembled for the likes of Handspring and Audiovox — they were some of the most well-built, technologically-advanced products I'd ever owned.
Starting in 2006, HTC went through a transformation, wherein it shed its role as a faceless manufacturer and began designing its own smartphones, paying close attention to the brand image it was conveying to consumers. During the early years of the smartphone revolution, this ethos served the company well: In the third quarter of 2011, it was the top smartphone vendor in the U.S., beating out both Samsung and Apple domestically.
Consumer preferences are fickle, though, and phones are a particularly brutal and fast-moving vertical.
Consumer preferences are fickle, though, and phones are a particularly brutal and fast-moving vertical.
As the market for these devices grew, HTC stayed focused on the high-end — ceding the rapidly-expanding, but less profitable, lower tiers to upstarts like China's Xiaomi. Only two years after reporting record profits, HTC found itself warning investors to brace themselves for its first quarterly loss as a public company.
And in the past two years, it has become a regular target of acquisition rumors, with the latest alleged buyer being Asus, another large Taiwanese company. HTC, for its part, says it's not interested in selling to Asus, although it didn't completely rule out the possibility of a buyout from other suitors.
How things changeThe company was recently forced to warn investors of an impending weaker-than-expected quarter, threatening the fragile turnaround effort that seemed to be taking place. After the bad news, the market pushed HTC's Taipei-traded shares to their lowest level in ten years.
Consumer preferences are fickle, though, and phones are a particularly brutal and fast-moving vertical.
Throughout its almost decade-long existence as a consumer-facing manufacturer, HTC has been adamant about maintaining its brand image — even as it was getting squeezed between Apple and Samsung on the high-end and a slew of low-cost manufacturers on the more affordable end of the continuum.
In more profitable times, that brand awareness could be forgiven as an effective marketing strategy. But with the company on the ropes, continuing to ignore volume sales now smacks of hubris.
How's this cool?In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal's Digits blog, HTC's chief financial officer defended a strategy he acknowledged was controversial. After discounting the possibility of going the low-price, high-volume route. "Low-cost players care only about volume, but can they be seen as cool technology brands beyond smartphones?" said Chang Chia-lin. He added that "we think that’s the right strategy because we started as a high-end player, and there is still room to go in terms of being a sizable market-share player."
He went on to argue that "the flagship product would create a halo effect, drawing mid-tier and entry-level models along with it. Hopefully, the pie will grow and the mix will be healthy. It’s natural that revenue contribution is associated with brand perception, and that’s something we care about."
It's not the only time that HTC has come across as somewhat arrogant despite its waning fortunes. When Chairwoman Cher Wang added CEO to her responsibilities following Peter Chou's ouster earlier this year, she explained the rationale thusly, to Bloomberg: "I know the company, I know the people, and I have the vision. I think I am the best candidate. I suggested it.”
It's not the only time that HTC has come across as somewhat arrogant despite its waning fortunes.
And prior to introducing this year's flagship, the One M9, to mixed reviews and tepid demand, the company's Senior Global Online Communications Manager, Jeff Gordon seemed overly optimistic.
It's not the only time that HTC has come across as somewhat arrogant despite its waning fortunes.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with a company hyping its own product; in fact, employees would be remiss if they didn't put their best foot forward.
But what is problematic is ignoring the writing on the wall, maintaining that same swagger when all the world is fully cognizant of your struggles. It almost sounds like team HTC would rather fail looking cool than succeed by risking downmarket associations with its all-important brand image.
Hey, tread contritelyFor now, the company's strategy seems to revolve around growing its non-smartphone revenue streams (such as the Re Camera and upcoming HTC Vive virtual reality headset), which currently contribute well less than 10% to the bottom line.
In other words, it'll gamble with that upmarket brand in untested categories, but won't offer the masses truly cheap alternatives to its high- and mid-tier lineup.
In fact, it's entirely possible that HTC's cost structures preclude competing on price, anyway: When you cultivate a polished brand image, you'll probably tend to foment a taste for luxury in your employees, leading to fixed labor costs that can't be supported by thin margins.
In fact, it's entirely possible that HTC's cost structures preclude competing on price
While it's true that HTC has had its share of bad luck over the last few years — the Snapdragon 810's overheating debacle did nothing to bolster One M9 sales — it also seems that the laurel-resting left it entirely unprepared for the cutthroat competition that has enveloped the rapidly-commoditizing smartphone space.
At this point it may be too late for HTC to recapture its once lofty position in the handset market. But if it is able to reinvent itself around an array of "connected lifestyle" products, it would do well to keep its head down and learn from the mistakes of the past.
In fact, it's entirely possible that HTC's cost structures preclude competing on price
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Topics: Gadgets, HTC, Mobile, smartphone, Tech
分享一些國外人士的意見!畢竟有一定的公信度!
That black area with the HTC logo on M8? Underneath is a huge amount of circuitry, antennae, etc. It’s not “empty” by any means.
— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) April 1, 2014
原來那個海苔條是有用途的!可以有電路,天線!這些解釋真令人印象深刻!文章裡面的arrogant傲慢出現不少次!
本文章最後由( kenny wang )於 2015-7-25 22:09 編輯
本文章最後由( kenny wang )於 2015-7-25 22:13 編輯
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