Acer said on Thursday the company plans to put a greater emphasis on marketing while developing its products, as the Taiwanese PC maker appointed a new chief marketing officer.
"In the product development stages, we will place marketing ahead of R&D and design," Acer CEO J.T. Wang said in a statement. Understanding customers' needs will decide how the company designs its products and services, he added.
Acer has also appointed Michael Birkin, the head of marketing firm Red Peak Group, as its new chief marketing officer. Red Peak already does marketing for Acer, as well as Intel. Birkin previously served as an executive at Omnicom, one of the largest advertising and marketing groups in the world.
Walter Deppeler, Acer's incumbent chief marketing officer, will become the chairman of a new marketing committee meant to integrate the company's brand with its marketing strategy.
The Taiwanese company made the announcement as its earnings have stabilized from a tough year in 2011. The company posted losses in last year's second and third quarter. During that year, the company dropped share to become the fourth largest PC player , according to IDC.
The company's president, Jim Wong, said in an interview in June, that the company struggled with its PC sales because of its focus on "nothing but market share."
"We didn't care about the end customers. We want to solve this problem, and we want to come back. And this is our main turf," he said at the time.
Acer is still currently the fourth largest PC maker in the world, with a 10.4 share of shipments, according to IDC.
