Dive Brief:
- HP kicked off its first global brand campaign for its Z by HP line of high-powered computers, targeting the creative community that is almost entirely working from home for the first time, according to an announcement shared with Marketing Dive.
- The Power Your Breakthrough effort is designed to communicate how Z computers help to power creative professionals' work. The campaign's cross-channel approach spans videos, a digital magazine, social activations and a new "Rightbrainers" podcast in which host and former TechCrunch journalist Tito Hamze discusses trends in tech and creativity through guests' stories of breakthroughs, failures and successes. A behind-the-scenes video series will showcase how HP developed the campaign using CGI and its high-tech Z computers.
- Z by HP worked with creative partner Giant Spoon to develop the global campaign. Additional partners include VFX studio Framestore and filmmaker Taylor James.
Dive Insight:
HP's first global brand campaign for its Z line of computers was designed to appeal to creative professionals, product designers, data scientists and architects. The effort arrives as many people are still working from home and will continue to indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many of these professionals will need to purchase new technology to get their jobs done outside of the office.
Usage of PCs has increased due to pandemic-related lockdowns, Windows' Chief Product Officer Panos Panay wrote in a blog post in May. This creative push in response to the uptick in PC usage is designed to position Z by HP as the go-to tool to create digital products via AI, 3D and advanced design, taking on Apple, which is known for supporting these creative platforms.
The cross-channel campaign could appeal to creative professionals in that its videos and other content spotlight the work that's possible through advanced Z computers. By developing a marketing campaign for creative professionals using the same technology it's promoting, HP is using the "show, don't tell" approach that may resonate with target audiences.
Meanwhile, the digital magazine positions HP as an authority on how to create work that uses the latest technology. It includes insights from 15 industry sources on subjects such as Adobe, Cinema4D, Epic Games and Microsoft, further strengthening the campaign as a valuable resource for creatives. HP may then develop a marketing list by collecting email addresses of the people who download the digital magazine for further targeting. Brands including Staples have turned to digital and print magazines in recent years to engage consumers.
Similarly, the branded podcast comes as U.S. podcast advertising revenue will rise 15% to about $1 billion this year, according to the IAB. Previously, Lexus tapped Malcolm Gladwell for a podcast that combined the carmaker's branding with editorial content.
