Nice work if you can get it.


A 15-second HTC teaser ad starring Robert Downey Jr. was released on YouTube Monday, signaling the start of the actor's reported two-year, $12 million deal with the cell phone maker, the Los Angeles Times wrote.


In the spot above, an executive alerts a boardroom that "subversive thinking has arrived." Enter Downey, essentially in Tony Stark "Iron Man" mode. Playing on HTC's acronym, he pops open a briefcase and says, "Humongous Tinfoil Catamaran."


The company's $1 billion campaign officially launches on Thursday, the paper notes.


HTC, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of Android phones, experienced a sharp profit fall in its June quarter, even though its recently released HTC One smartphone was highly regarded, Marketwatch noted.


Can superhero Downey save HTC from what Marketwatch calls a "high-end smartphone" slump? HTC told Geekwire that it hired Downey for its campaign because "Downey is respected as an actor, yet he doesn’t follow the typical Hollywood mold."