2012 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

In the hardware category, market shares change almost every quarter. The life circle of a laptop has been shrinking in the past decade, plus the competitors – and therefore the offer – have diversified widely. Products tend to resemble each other in their content (processor, graphics, display, etc.) and consumers don’t always understand the justification behind a price difference. As a consequence, they tend to switch brands more easily, and advertising plays a big role in their decision. We needed to help HP make a difference, in the consumer's perception and in stores.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The Paparazzi campaign aimed at breaking the usual role distribution in the way stories are told. The consumer is not invited to sit down and listen to a story or read through an A4 leaflet. He is placed at the center stage, under the lights of the paparazzi. It’s a campaign that we wanted inspirational, and it was also a way to give HP’s image a glamorous glow – an answer to the brand’s request to get closer to their target audience: the young people (18-35 years old) in the Gulf in general, the UAE being the bigger market.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Footfall at the Emax store increased by 15%. The position of the HP stand – at the entrance of the shop – was also very strategic, as the consumers would meet it right after entering the shop. The conversion rate (people who enter the store & walk to the HP stand after seeing the window) was over 50%, and promoters reported an increase in enquiries on HP products during the period. Interviews to passers-by show that the people appreciated the initiative; a lot of them were surprised by the flashes, and happily interacted with the window, taking pictures or just posing.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Further than mass media spends, we have looked at ways to surprise the shopper in the moment of truth: in Malls. All retailers are present, and all products are displayed next to each other, hence it is capital to stand out from the shelf. We wanted to surprise the shopper in its random walk across the galleries, and put him in the spotlights to show that HP’s story is different, that in HP’s story he is the star. We branded a large in window with paparazzi in action, and a motion detector that releases flashlights once a consumer approaches.