Why OnePlus is a different kind of smartphone

Brian Carruthers

OnePlus claims not to be a mainstream brand, yet its unorthodox marketing approach has made it the fourth largest premium smartphone globally.

OnePlus is “probably the best smartphone company that you’ve never heard of”, according to Kate Parkyn, the brand’s Head of Growth Marketing. Not only is it a bold claim, but, unusually for a marketer, she’s comfortable with that lack of awareness.

“We are not a mainstream brand,” she told the MAD//Fest event (London, November 2019). “We are a specific brand for those in the know.”

That includes more and more people. She claimed 209% growth year over year in an sector that is declining; the six-year-old brand ranks fourth among global premium smartphones (behind Samsung, Apple and Huawei) and holds...

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