Competition is always active and high in the tech industry, and while companies tend to avoid mentioning the names of their most prominent competitors, sometimes the occasional slip-up creates a funny situation that brings a smile to the faces of fans and critics. Recently, for example, HTC decided to release a golden version of their new One M9 flagship phone – but they could have been slightly more careful with preparing their marketing materials.
Watchful Internet users quickly noticed something peculiar about the pictures – the reflection on the phone seems to show someone holding an iPhone and using it to take the shots. Whether they intended to or not, the company have now given a serious “nod” to their competitor, and of course Internet users have been very active in discussing the fiasco, having fun with the situation.
The phone was launched in celebration of the end of the UEFA Champions League season, with some information on its back related to the final match between FC Barcelona and Juventus. However, most people weren’t paying too much attention to the text, but were rather looking at the reflection of the photographer.
The picture was initially posted on Twitter, and it didn’t take long for it to become viral and start circulating all over the Web. It’s a little too late for HTC to do anything now but to sit back and let the storm pass, but in the end this situation might not be entirely negative for the company.
After all, while the phrase “there is no such thing as bad press” may not be absolutely true, it does have its merits in some cases. In this situation, many people who would not have heard about the golden HTC One M9 otherwise now got to see the phone all over their news feeds, and it will likely stay that way for a while. And even though this also mentions Apple, it may not benefit them that strongly due to the way they’re referenced.
Some have even speculated that this was an intentional and carefully calculated move by HTC who did it on purpose in order to generate some extra hype about the device. It would be a strange marketing tactic, but definitely not the strangest one we’ve heard of, and looking at the current situation, it would even make sense to think that. There are lots of active discussions about the HTC One M9’s golden variant right now, and people just seem excited to talk about the device in general, which in the end is a good thing for HTC.