• by Aaron Baar , October 26, 2009

Mobile phone maker HTC Corp. wants to make the phone personal, emphasizing the breadth of its handsets and how each one can appeal to different needs through a new global advertising campaign that addresses you, the individual.

The effort, developed by Deutsch LA, emphasizes the personal when it comes to mobile handset technology. Noting that people have an emotional relationship with their phones, the campaign uses the word "you" to emphasize the company's brand promise. A newly redesigned Web site has the word written out in various styles, with explanations underneath them such as: "want to Tweet wherever you are" or "could use a good laugh." Clicking on one of the "Yous" takes the user to the phone that is right for them. (The "good laugh" one, for instance, directs a user to the Imagio, which features easy access to YouTube video.)

Television commercials take a similar tack, with a voiceover proclaiming things about "you," while visuals show people interacting with their phones. "You are different from you," says a voiceover as the camera moves from one person to another. "You are trying to forget about work," it says while a man is having a conversation in an office stairwell, "while you are working late," as the picture shifts to a man in an office late at night.

After several other such proclamations, the voiceover continues: "And you realize you don't need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you. And you. And you." A second commercial depicts similar scenes from the phone's point of view, looking up at different users in different situations. Both spots end with the HTC logo and company tagline "Quietly brilliant."

"'Quietly Brilliant' is doing great things in a humble way, with the belief that the best things in life can only be experienced, not explained," said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation, in a statement. "The You campaign is the perfect embodiment of 'quietly brilliant' and is core to HTC as a company, innovator and partner."

The campaign, which will include television, print, outdoor and online executions, began airing over the weekend in London and will eventually roll out to 20 countries worldwide. (The U.S. rollout is expected later this week.)