HTC is once again in the spotlight but not for right reasons. Although many would believe that all publicity is good publicity, trying to mislead your customers is likely to hurt your business rather than boost it.
The Taiwanese company has been promoting the HTC U11 in the UK since last year. Starting mid-2017, HTC's promotional campaign included an ad that was meant to highlight the new squeeze gestures of the U11.
The advert shows British Olympic diver Tom Daley using the HTC 11 at a swimming pool, jumping from the highest platform and taking selfies of himself by squeezing the phone while plunging into the water. Moreover, the ad showed the diver using the HTC U11 as he was going out of the water.
Unfortunately for HTC, the UK's advertising watchdog found that the ad is misleading and asked the handset maker to remove it from the promotion. The reasoning behind its decision is pretty simple: the phone's own instructions strongly recommends that it should not come into contact with pool water.
HTC issued a statement saying that while it's disappointed by Advertising Standards Authority's ruling, it has decided to remove the ad from all media:
We are disappointed by the ASA ruling but have removed the video from our sites. We apologise if anyone felt misled as to the handset's water resistant capabilities.
Finally, ASA's statement mentions that HTC admitted that “there were too many variations of water temperature and chemical composition” to recommend the use of the U11 in swimming pools.
Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brings a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: