After shedding several senior execs over the last few weeks, it looks like HTC is looking to recruit, albeit for a different role. In a bid to capitalize on the positive momentum behind its excellent One smartphone, Bloomberg reports that HTC will be recruiting no less than (an actor who plays) Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. will allegedly feature in promotional campaigns as himself (not the aforementioned Avenger or even a time-travelling Holmes) and will even claim final say over creative elements -- hopefully ensuring any appearances Downey Jr. does make aren't as awkward as some recent efforts. when.eng("eng.perm.init")
Showing posts with label Downey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Downey. Show all posts
Thursday, September 26, 2013
HTC reportedly enlists Robert Downey Jr. in $12 million marketing deal
HTC reportedly enlists Robert Downey Jr. in $12 million marketing deal data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20630585' !== '') ? 'bsd:20630585' : ''; var postID = '20630585'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"cellphones",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"mat-smith", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});HTC reportedly enlists Robert Downey Jr. in $12 million marketing deal MobileByMat SmithpostedJun 21st, 2013 at 8:01 AM 0 After shedding several senior execs over the last few weeks, it looks like HTC is looking to recruit, albeit for a different role. In a bid to capitalize on the positive momentum behind its excellent One smartphone, Bloomberg reports that HTC will be recruiting no less than (an actor who plays) Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. will allegedly feature in promotional campaigns as himself (not the aforementioned Avenger or even a time-travelling Holmes) and will even claim final say over creative elements -- hopefully ensuring any appearances Downey Jr. does make aren't as awkward as some recent efforts. when.eng("eng.perm.init")
After shedding several senior execs over the last few weeks, it looks like HTC is looking to recruit, albeit for a different role. In a bid to capitalize on the positive momentum behind its excellent One smartphone, Bloomberg reports that HTC will be recruiting no less than (an actor who plays) Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. will allegedly feature in promotional campaigns as himself (not the aforementioned Avenger or even a time-travelling Holmes) and will even claim final say over creative elements -- hopefully ensuring any appearances Downey Jr. does make aren't as awkward as some recent efforts. when.eng("eng.perm.init")
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Why 'Iron Man' Robert Downey Jr. Is on Sina Weibo But Not Twitter
Gwynn Guilford for Quartz 2013-05-03 23:01:45 UTC Iron Man 3 opens today in North America, but it’s been playing in Chinese theaters since the May Day holiday and has already made a killing, bringing in a record-breaking $21.2 million on its first day alone.
And it’s not just records: Marvel and its Chinese partner, DMG, are setting new standards for foreign movies looking to earn government clearance in China. To curry favor, the company added four minutes of footage just for the mainland, including throwaway parts for Chinese A-list actors Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi, and a ham-handed milk drink product placement.
Also new is the aggressive outreach to Chinese audiences by Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. Not only did he visit China for the first time in his life to talk up the film, but Downey also set up a personal account on Sina Weibo:
Mind you, Downey doesn’t even have a Twitter account (or if he does, he doesn’t use it). He does use his Weibo account, however.
His account was opened on April 24, and 10 minutes after a quick “Hello China” post, Downey offered his condolences to earthquake victims, a post that was forwarded more than 11,500 times. And though he doesn’t post often, he knows how to play to the crowd. “People who know me back in America know that I’m very interested in all things Chinese,” he wrote the other day.
On one hand, Downey’s Weibo pander is of a piece with the aggressive marketing blitz in China mounted by Marvel and DMG, in which Downey figured heavily. But his online outreach also an increasingly common way for Western stars to connect with Chinese audiences, as this excellent Reuters piece highlights. The article flags marketing company China Branding Group, which runs Fanstang, a service that manages Weibo and other Chinese social media sites for Western celebs, including Downey.
Though Fanstang—which combines “fans” with the Chinese word “tang,” meaning “hall”—didn’t respond to a request for comment, the service appears to translate into Chinese whatever their customers write in English. For instance, the Weibo accounts of Ian Somerhalder, star of Vampire Diaries, and basketballer Dwyane Wade simply translate what the stars post on Twitter.
Obviously, neither Somerhalder nor Wade need to sell movie tickets in China. In fact, the vast majority of Fanstang’s foreign luminary Weibo customers aren’t huge movie stars like Downey.
That’s why it will be interesting to see if Downey’s Weibo persona keeps up its awkward flattery of traditional Chinese culture after Iron Man 3 leaves the screens. We’re already seeing studios rewriting whole plotlines to please the Chinese government and the country’s audiences. To studios increasingly looking to China to drive revenue, actors with a ready-made Chinese fanbase will be all the more valuable.
Image via Mike Marsland/Getty Images
This article originally published at Quartz here
Topics: Entertainment, Film, iron man, Iron Man 3, sina weibo, Twitter
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