The Hindu Business Line : HP to choose businessperson for `personal again' campaign

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is scouting for an Indian personality that can be the face of its `Personal Again' global campaign launched in the country a month ago.

Speaking to Business Line here, Mr Dennis Mark, Vice-President - Marketing (Personal Systems Group and Small & Medium Businesses), Asia Pacific and Japan, HP, said the company would choose a businessperson who can highlight how they have made their work and home lives successful by using HP's personal computers.

The global campaign, launched in May this year, has `The computer is personal again' as its tagline, an attempt to occupy the personal computer space and de-commoditise what has "reduced to a `PC'," said Mr Mark. The campaign takes off from the basis that a personal computer is an extension and expression of oneself, containing as it does all the user's information, personal and work-related.

The campaign also seeks to go beyond the technological aspects and convey the message that HP's personal computers are a more powerful personal tool, and user-friendly, secure and reliable ones at that, Mr Mark said.

Focus areas

India is one of the four focus areas in the Asia-Pacific for this campaign, HP's first global one. The other countries are China, Korea and Australia. The campaign will run across various media - print, electronic, SMS, outdoor and online. Designed by the San Francisco-based advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the campaign uses the silhouette of a hand as a motif that represents, among many things, connectivity, assurance and an emotional connect.

"In today's hi-tech, feature-driven world of computers, we needed to build a value proposition of distinction - and the emotional connect provides that," said Ms Shuchi Sarkar, Head of Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP India. Earlier HP campaigns were "very factual, very specs-driven," but now the market is very sophisticated and each individual wants their own space, hence this tactic, she said.

Catering to local demands

The campaign, though global, is designed to adapt to local market demands, said Mr Mark. In the US, it has roped in star snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White, rapper Jay-Z and Mark Burnett, reality TV producer, to star in its Personal Again campaign spots. They talk about what they do with their computer and how it becomes a mode of expression. Actor Shah Rukh Khan currently endorses Compaq Presario, HP's mass market brand of computers. However, that campaign and product has the new user as its target, while the computers branded HP are for the second-time buyers, small and medium businesses, corporates, top-end professionals and entrepreneurs, Mr Mark said.

According to Ms Sarkar, across desktop, notebook, commercial and consumer computer models, HP has a 25 per cent value market share. International Data Corporation's results for the first quarter of 2006 show HP has an 18.8 per cent share (by volume) of the commercial PC segment. In the portables segment, it has a 36.5 per cent share.

More Stories on : Strategy | Hardware | Advertising

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Preliminary rounds of Tata Group quiz in nine cities

Hungama plans foray into merchandising

Airtel cuts roaming rates

`One plus one' scheme from Hutch

HP to choose businessperson for `personal again' campaign

Euro RSCG to offer HR practice

Trans Car India opens workshop in Chennai for Mercedes

Armaan is TotalFinaElf's brand ambassador

Retail outlet for Osim products

Dentsu Marcom to juice up Rasna's `diluteables'

Teacher's to get more focus in sub-continent

Lenzing sees strong demand for its branded fibre in India

eBay-Nasscom eCommerce Guide unveiled