Report: Motorola prepared to spend upwards of $500 million on Moto X advertising
A report from the WSJ today is helping us get an idea for exactly how serious Motorola will be taking their soon-to-be-released Moto X handset. To ensure the device is a hit with consumers, Motorola could be looking to spend upwards of $500 million to advertise the device. That’s nothing to sneeze at, especially coming from an underdog. By comparison, Apple spent $333 million and Samsung $401 million in the US to advertise their devices, and Motorola could be looking to trump those numbers. But will it work?
There’s no question Motorola will definitely be facing an uphill battle to claim the smartphone market share. However, Motorola remains optimistic despite selling 2.3 million smartphones this year, accounting for only 1% of the global market. Of course, with the Moto X rumored to launch across all major carriers in the US (and Europe), anything is possible. Lord knows we could use some hefty competition in a market dominated by Samsung and Apple.
As we’re sure you’ve heard by now, the Moto X’s claim to fame is that it will be sold both in stores, and online directly from Motorola with the device can be customized (“designed”) by the customer with various colored front and back plates, along with specialty engravings. Because of the big bucks Motorola is prepared to spend on making sure everyone in the world knows about this device, wireless carriers are taking more of a hands-off approach on the device, where it’s said only a minimal amount of carrier “bloatware” will come preloaded on the Moto X.
Because of the device is assembled in the good ‘ol US of A, Motorola is in the unique position to offer this high level of customization to the consumer, while still providing for speedy shipping times. While we feel like the customizing aspect of the Moto X could be more of a gimmick, with the bulk of sales taking place in carrier retail stores. Hey, whatever helps spread the word. Good luck to ya, Motorola.