More Discussion On Helio’s Brand Failures

Agency Spy picks up where PSFK left off and spends a lot of time dissecting Helio‘s branding and advertising:

Helio is one of the few phone makers to offer 3G service and GPS positioning, which is arguably very cool. However, the advertising for Helio never bothers to explain to the general public what 3G service is. Instead, they put up billboards featuring taglines such as, “Don’t call it a phone.” The brand also tries to get users to call it a “device” in its stores and print messages. Huh? Okay, so what the hell is a “device?” What is Helio – a cell phone maker, a service provider, a content service? And why should you make any sort of switch?

The work coming from their agency, Deutsch LA, addresses none of these issues. Instead, they employ the “irreverent, hipster” approach in such fare as their recent booklet on cell phone etiquette that does little to clear up consumer confusion… Deutsch might have focused on a different niche than the hipster marketplace. Hipsters everywhere have smart phones, but they’re all about the cheap. If Deutsch had done a little market research, they’d have known this.

Helio + Deutsch LA … Tsk. Tsk. « Agency Spy