(Reuters) - Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's third-biggest smartphone manufacturer, plans to spend $300 million on global marketing in 2014, a senior executive said on Wednesday.
"This year Huawei will spend $300 million on marketing," Shao Yang, Huawei's vice president of marketing for its consumer business, told Reuters on the sidelines of a press conference on Wednesday in Shenzhen, China, where the company is headquartered.
Huawei is trying to move upmarket as it shifts its focus from low-end smartphones to mid-range and premium handsets. "In 2014, we are aiming our sales efforts at improving our branding image," Eric Xu, Huawei's acting CEO, said last month.
Xu said earlier on Wednesday that the growth of Huawei's business would not be negatively affected by concerns about its products' security, following media reports last month that U.S. authorities had hacked into Huawei's headquarters.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee; editing by Jane Baird)
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