2012 Winners & Shortlists

Execution

In the hardware category, market share changes almost every quarter. The life circle of a laptop has been shrinking, plus the offer has diversified widely in the past decade. Products tend to resemble each other in their content and consumers don’t always understand the price justification. As a consequence, they tend to switch brands more easily, and advertising plays a big role in their decision. Further than mass media spends, we have looked for an original way to surprise the shopper in the moment of truth: in Malls. We wanted to surprise him in its random walk across the galleries, and rather than tell him a story, make him the star of it. We branded a large window at the Emax shop in Reef Mall (Dubai), with paparazzi in action, and a motion detector that releases flashlights once a consumer approaches. People appreciated the initiative; a lot of them were surprised by the flashes, and happily interacted with the window, taking pictures or posing. They interpreted the campaign as “refreshing” and “intriguing”, and recognized their perception of HP changed, quoting the attributes “glamour” and “young”. Footfall at the Emax store increased by 15%. The conversion rate (people who enter the store & walk to the HP stand after seeing the window) was actually over 50%, and promoters reported an increase in enquiries on HP products, and on the brand in general during the period. The sales of HP products increased by 15%, and the sales of the product displayed in the window (the Mini 210) increased by 10%. These figures followed three quarters in a row (from December 2010 to September 2011), and helped consolidate HP’s leading position in the PC category, gaining him around 2.5% market share in the netbook segment over the period.