HTC brings in Robert Downey Jr for massive ad campaign [video]

HTC’s had a hard time of it over the past few years. While it initially looked like a promising contender for the de-facto Android manufacturer, its lead was rapidly eaten away by Samsung and its financials took a pretty big hit.

But it looks like the Taiwanese mobile manufacturer isn’t about to just lie down and roll over. In addition to a string of more than decent phones, it’s just unleashed a seriously aggressive advertising campaign starring Robert Downey Jr.

The Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes star is not only front and centre of the new campaign, called “Here’s To Change”, but will also apparently have a hand in the creative process.

According to Engadget, the campaign could last anywhere from 24 to 36 months and will be split into three phases. The first phase will see Downey and his fellow actors blurting out possible things HTC could stand for, including “Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran,” “Hipster Troll Carwash,” “Hold This Cat” and more — in order “to invoke interest and talkability amongst consumers.”

The first full ad, which is set to flight this Thursday in select countries around the globe, won’t feature any details of HTC products, although those will apparently be introduced in later commercials.

The sad part is the goliath to this David, is Samsung and it has a marketing budget that will crush them without so much as breaking a sweat. However with any luck Ironman will at least keep them in the game, which in the end means competition is still alive so the consumers still get the best out of the companies.

Check out a snippet of the ad below:

Additional reporting by Martijn Vreugde.