Story Campaign

2009 was a year of transition in Indian computer market. Notebooks were becoming the preferred form of owning a computer, with the market growing at a modest 7%. However there was overall stagnation and an explosion of competitor activity from the likes of Dell, Acer, Lenovo and Vaio that was pressurizing HP Pavilion. Despite the competitive pressure, the challenge for HP Pavilion was more brand-driven than market-driven. HP Pavilion has a large range of offerings with different configurations and a bewildering choice of price points. The challenge was to forge a deeply personal relationship with the prospective notebook owners, and strengthen the relationship with existing owners, increase market share and maintain its price premium.

HP realised that when we have a deeply personal relationship with someone we want to celebrate that relationship. This lead to the idea of “your notebook tells your story”.
The campaign ran in two phases. The first phase was about establishing the platform of “your story”. The campaign ran for three months in print, outdoor and online. The second phase of campaign became truly personal, with HP creating stories around segments. With owners of HP computers telling their personal stories, including a gamer, a fashionista and a music buff. This was extended to TV, print, outdoor and on-line. HP invited consumers to share their stories as well by texting their stories into a specific number. Special segments were created in a cricket telecast where the story of the match was discussed. Consumers could call in and share their story with a wider panel. It became a constant theme in the blogosphere where the phrase “What’s your story?” was constantly used.

Brand sales growth of 37% and a 49% increase in revenue year-on-year, compared with a 21% growth in category sales volume and revenues. Consideration for the brand rose from 30% to 38% at the end of the campaign, without cannibalising its sister brand Compaq. Every month the campaign generated over 12,000 text messages, with a conversion as high as 13.4%.