"Idris has extensive experience in marketing, strategy and
design, which will be of great value to HTC's business strategy as
an innovation leader going forward," an HTC spokeswoman said in a
statement.
The Taiwanese manufacturer has struggled despite high regard for
its flagship device, the One M8 smartphone. As recently as 2010,
HTC claimed the top spot in U.S. market share, but was swiftly
edged out by Apple and other rivals. Between August and October,
HTC accounted for 4% of smartphones nationwide, a 0.6% fall from
the prior quarter, according to ComScore. It does not rank among
the top five smartphone makers globally.
Last week, HTC posted a slim operating profit, along with $1.5
billion in revenue, after two years of consecutive losses. The
company is expected to unveil its new device in March.
In its marketing, the company has leveraged positive reviews of
its smartphone with the "Ask the Internet" campaign, which featured
British thespian Gary Oldman. In October, HTC ventured into a new
category,
releasing a portable digital camera called the Re.
In 2013, HTC spent $75.8 million in measured media, according to
Kantar Media. Deutsch L.A. is the company's primary
creative agency.