On May 19 all the front pages woke up with the news that for a few days would shake the world: Google, under the mandate of the US government, imposed a veto on all Huawei mobile phones.
The panic was immediate and many Huawei owners began looking for ways to get rid of their devices without knowing well what this veto was about.
United States against Chinese companies
The dispute between the United States and Huawei began when rumors of espionage pointed to the ZTE company.
The company accepted a multi-million dollar fine to continue operating in the United States, but its reputation was already tarnished.
Among the companies that Americans stopped buying, was Huawei as well.
Later, the arrest of the Vice President of Huawei set off red lights and the situation began to get tenser.
After all this, Huawei decided to sue in order to defend against the law that prevented government agencies and contractors from buying cell phones from this brand.
All this happens despite the recent peak in user preference for Huawei phones (the best-known case is the P30 model)
After the veto, people started looking for ways to sell their equipment, and those who had planned to acquire one changed their minds without thinking twice.
How much does it affect marketing?
Consider two things: Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world and Huawei had been gaining large numbers of new fans thanks to the performance of their cameras.
Today, without the support of Android, without the updates of the applications and with the threat of not having the OS in the most current cell phones, Huawei is in the need to take urgent measures.
Days after the veto, the company announced the existence of an operating system developed specifically for their cell phones.
However, and as the president of the company said, the OS was not ready, but now, they would have to accelerate operations to avoid falling behind.
Given this, the question of how the new system works arises.
Whether it will have the same characteristics of Google or similar for the marketing efforts are mainly focused on two operating systems: iOS and Android.
Mobile phones that already have the operating system, will not suffer any changes, however, the new units will not have Android integration.
So, will my ads be seen on the new Huawei phones?
It is still too early to define what will happen with advertising in the new operating system.
Although services such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Chrome, and Drive would not work on new cell phones, the new Huawei OS is based on Android.
Another obstacle for Huawei was the recent refusal of Intel and Qualcomm to collaborate with them.
While this might not affect the mobiles, is definitely a low blow for their Lap Tops.
Today, Huawei faces one of the most complicated battles in his life as a brand.
Although it had begun to gain a name and position in international markets, now it is not only being denied the possibility of competition, but his reputation as a trusted device has been tainted.
As marketers, we must keep our eyes on the facts.
Today most people who browse from mobile phones have operating system and brand preferences.
Fortunately there are few countries where Huawei tops the list of the most popular cell phones, and where it does, Android will continue to work, at least until the US government decides otherwise.
Sources
www.cnet.com
www.xataka.com
www.bbc.com
www.techcrunch.com