By: Adrianne Pasquarelli, Advertising Age
HP Inc. is banking on the digitally obsessed in its new campaign. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based brand will unveil “Reinvent Obsession” on Monday with a series of TV spots, videos and a dedicated microsite. In the first 45-second video, positive reviews from publications such as Wired, Engadget and even In Style, celebrate the triumphs of HP’s new Spectre laptop. Labels like “sexiest,” “slimmest” and “most beautiful,” flash onto the screen as the background music swells in grand cinematic fashion. In another spot, a man is so enthralled with the laptop’s sleek beauty he neglects to notice an angry stewardess asking him to turn off the device, as his fellow passengers impatiently look on.
The new effort, which includes a total of 17 different videos, is designed to highlight HP as a premium brand that can perform better than the competition and also attract older millennial consumers. HP worked with Fred & Farid on the creative.
“We are delivering some of the most beautiful, most functionally efficient PCs in the world and we want consumers to take a new look at HP,” explained Antonio Lucio, a former Visa marketer who joined HP as chief marketing officer last year.
The “Reinvent Obsession” tagline is a continuation of the overarching “Keep Reinventing” campaign that was introduced last year around the time Hewlett Packard split into two companies—HP Enterprise, which sells to businesses, and HP Inc., which sells personal computers and printers. The brand’s “Invent” tagline dates back to 1999.
“This company made a commitment back in November to reinvent itself through product and services and our approach to marketing,” said Mr. Lucio.
The new work will include a microsite, dubbed the Reinvent Obsession Lab, that will debut in late June. The site will connect the passions of consumers—think sports or fashion—with the new equipment. HP will also use its social media outlets to deliver recommendations on the best products for individuals. The brand is dedicating about 65% of its media spend to digital, which was also the case in 2015. Mr. Lucio called out search, mobile and social as key areas of focus.
HP declined to specify how this year’s budget compares with previous efforts. In 2015, the company spent about $95 million on measured media in the U.S., according to Kantar Media.
For the most recent quarter, HP’s net revenue was down 11% to $11.6 billion, compared with the year-earlier period.
