HTC Marketing Deal With Iron Man Star Reportedly In The Works

HTC seems to be in bad shape, but they're trying to dig themselves out of a rut by recruiting Iron Man lead star Robert Downey Jr. to market the company's latest products, according to reports. After slashing executive salaries by half just recently, it's said that HTC is signing a $12 million deal with Downey Jr. to have him promote the company's various devices.Bloomberg says that HTC and Downey Jr. agreed to a two-year deal that would see the Iron Man and Avengers star promote various HTC products, such as the company's famed HTC One smartphone. He play himself in promotions (as opposed to characters he plays), and it's said that he will have final say over all creative elements.

The deal would consist of Downey Jr. appearing in a number of television commercials, as well as various print and billboard ads. While the HTC One is one of the more popular handsets out there currently, HTC hasn't dabbled too much in the mainstream advertising space compared to rivals like Samsung and Apple, so this should definitely give the company a quick boost in public exposure.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as Iron Man himself in the movie trilogy, as well as in The Avengers, for which Downey Jr. will also star in for future sequels. He also starred in the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Homes, as well as its sequel. Celebrity endorsements are nothing new, and we see them every day, but this deal seems to be pretty big for HTC.

UPDATE: The official word from HTC is as follows:

"We have nothing to announce today on a new marketing campaign. But as we've said over the past several months, HTC is working to change its approach in how and where it markets its products to compete in a more effective manner. The all-metal design has drawn overwhelmingly positive feedback from media and consumers alike. Anyone with a penchant for metal should be able to appreciate its appeal."

SOURCE: Bloomberg