The Hong Kong-based company released its interim results today, revealing that it has lost HK$3.9bn (拢320m) on its international 3G start-up.
It said that worldwide it had signed 520,000 subscribers to 3G services: 155,000 in the UK; 300,000 in Italy; and 50,000 in Australia. It described its 3UK service as being "very well received" despite the dismal sign-up figures.
The failure to come close has forced Hutchison to abandon its target of 1m customers by the end of the year, and review its marketing strategy for the second time since the launch, as well as cutting handset prices and tariffs.
Its advertising agency TBWA\London has just been reappointed to the 3 UK advertising account after a review. It has already dumped its first wave of advertising for a new campaign highlighting great events in history where naysayers have been critical. The tagline is: "They said it couldn't be done."
Nonetheless, in its results statement today, chairman Li Ka Shing said: "The current summer promotional offerings in the UK, Italy and Australia have been very well received, resulting in current subscribers of approximately 155,000 in the UK, 300,000 in Italy and 50,000 in Australia, which combined with subscribers in Sweden and Austria total approximately 520,000 worldwide."
The company has tapped into Premiership football as one of the core ways of enticing customers, but other marketing promotions seem to be way off the mark in reaching the target audience of well-to-do men in their late 20s and 30s, such as a competition to appear in a music video for the 'Popstars' rejects Liberty X.
Hutchison Whampoa is one of the biggest companies in Hong Kong with a wide range of interests including telecommunications, property, retail and manufacturing. The company was one of five successful bidders for 3G licences in the UK in an operation three years ago that raised 拢22.5bn for the government. It is the first to roll out third-generation mobile services.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .