ST, 19 Nov, reported:

ELECTRONICS giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) decided to go straight for the heart, to stand out in an industry constantly looking to outdo rivals with whiz-bang gadgetry and high-tech specifications.The company has marketed the personal computer as an extension of the individual – to make it more than a machine.

‘The connect that we wanted to make was not based on benefits, but an emotional connect,’ said Mr Ajay Mohan, HP’s vice-president of marketing and small- and medium-sized businesses in the Asia-Pacific and Japan.’And the emotional connect that we wanted to establish was that the computer is an extension of yourself. It is something which you work with on a daily basis; this is where you put your ideas, this is how you operate. This is a very personal thing, and you do not look at it as an impersonal object.’

He was outlining HP’s successful three-year branding strategy to the audience at a marketing conference, the Brand Couture Congress, which opened at Suntec City yesterday.

HP got it right with their 3 year branding strategy “HP Personal Again”. Personally, I loved the campaign, it made PC fun. I particularly liked the TV ads that had famous people talking about their love of their PC but their face was never shown. How clever is that!

Here’s one with Pharrel the famous rapper:

The lesson here:

Don’t be to overly concerned with the visual branding of your product. Think about how your branding is connecting to your target consumers at an emotional level. After all, isn’t true that we are really emotional animals. A large percentage of buying decision is made based on emotions rather than logic. If not why else would you be wearing that watch on your wrist (since all watch does the same function of telling time)?

here’s the making of the TVC, if you are fascinated: