HTC issues major new UK PR tender

HTC is seeking new UK PR partners after issuing a far-reaching tender as part of a wider strategic shake-up.

The mobile manufacturer is understood to be drawing up a shortlist for the six-figure brief, which would include corporate, consumer and business-to-business work, though it is unknown whether it will select a single agency or split the contract, reports PRWeek.

Having recently endured a difficult period that culminated in a profit warning in July 2013, HTC handed a global brief to Nelson Bostock and launched a billion-dollar marketing campaign fronted by Hollywood superstar Robert Downey Jr.

Nelson Bostock will act as a global hub for consumer and corporate PR under the new arrangement.

HTC's global head of comms Julia Herd said the aim of the shake-up is "to deliver programmes that resonate effectively and get more traction with a broader consumer audience, [as] it is important to coordinate global comms".

The Taiwanese firm was founded in 1997 and has become a leading player in the smartphone market, though it has seen its sales performance suffer a significant dip in the last year or so.