HP Back-to-School Case Study

Declare/Notebook-Netbook Companion Word-of-mouth marketing program

Back-to-School 2009

©Ivy Worldwide, Inc.

Conversation Topics • Third-party endorsements of HP Pavilion dv6t + Mini 110 as a companion set • Emphasis on multi-PC setup with Syncables solution • Authentic, real-life dual PC usage scenarios by parents, tech enthusiasts, and

college students • Highlight Microsoft Windows capabilities on both PCs Promotional Aspects • Influencer led “HP/Microsoft Back to School: Better Together Giveaway” • Influencer created hub site for giveaway: www.backtoschoolgiveaways.com • HP created blogger badge emphasizing companion story • HP HHO “Deal of the Week” coupons

Overview


http://www.backtoschoolgiveaways.com/

• Induce sales

Indirectly drive sales primary and secondary target audiences

• Promote Microsoft Windows value propositions

Show how Windows enables college/high school students to enjoy their digital lifestyle

• Illustrate the companion story

Tell the story of a dual PC setup to help promote the popular HP Mini as best when paired with the HP Pavilion dv6

• Support Syncables value proposition

Capture the value of HP’s multi PC setup including Syncables software with purchase of the Mini

• Introduce Timbuk2 into conversation

Drive awareness of Timbuk2’s backpack line highlighting it as a great asset to have along with a brand new PC (and thereby attract Timbuk2’s audience who are primarily MacBook owners)

• Raise Influencer profiles

Drive traffic to influencer sites and help them create HP and Microsoft-centric content

Program Objectives


Influencer Targets

• Primary audience:

College-bound students

• Secondary audience:

Purchase decision-making parents

• Tertiary audience: Technology enthusiasts


Influencers worked together to come up with a name for the campaign which would illustrate the companion story

“HP Microsoft Back-to-School Better Together Giveaway”

Influencers created a hub site explaining the giveaway, linking to all sites, hp.com, microsoft.com and timbuk2.com

www.backtoschoolgiveaways.com

Influencers came up with common twitter hashtag to denote a tweet about the promotion

#hpbts

Influencers worked together to bookmark the campaign hub site to increase visibility

Bookmarked on Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon

Influencers linked to each others’ sites creating a viral effect

Better Together



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Sales Metrics HP Direct Sales of Pavilion dv6t + Mini 110

29% Increase in Sales (7 weeks prior to campaign to 7weeks after

Data from Hpshopping.com)

Weeks


Ivy Back-to-School Campaign

• 186+ influencer posts on campaign including consumer-generated content: – Back-to-school systems

– Contest announcements

– HP weekly “Hot Deal” coupon announcements

• 3,200+ blog comments

• 8.5 million aggregate monthly unique views

• 15K+ aggregate Google link-backs

• 2,800+ Twitter Followers

• 2,300+ tweets on the HP Back to school campaign

• 7,700+ Facebook Friends

• 97+ non-influencer sites helped propagate the HP back-to-school campaign and messaging

Social Media Conversation


Influencer-Created Microsite

www.backtoschoolgiveaways.com

• July 25-Sept 10 site had 7,968

unique visitors

• 19,380 page views

• 331 referrer sites

• Linked to all participating sites, Hpshopping, Windows homepage and Timbuk2 homepage

• Linked to consumer-generated content detailing package elements



The Companion Story


In ONE comment, you must answer these two questions, and post a link to prove that you have fulfilled the required task: 1. What kind of computer setup are you using now? 2. How would owning this package make your computing life easier? --Geardiary.com

The Companion Story

The notebooks are a "companion" set, meant to work well for a student geeky enough to have two separate computers: a netbook for taking notes, a larger notebook for heavier tasks and a bag that holds both. Reviews on both units to come in the next few days.


--HackCollege.com

The Companion Story

Select Your Own HP Companions HP is giving away the DV6 laptop and the Mini 110 netbook as a companion set. In other words, the DV6 is your main computer and the Mini 110 is your computer on the go. If you could pick your own companion set, which computers would you select from the HP web site? Let me know by leaving a comment


--Daddyforever.com

The Companion Story

We’re a power-using bunch, needing tons of power and ability from our computers; we’re also a mobile bunch, needing a computer with long battery life that can go with us wherever we are. The bundle I’ve got handles that extremely well. The notebook is powerful enough to be a home base, and the netbook is portable and long-lasting enough to go with you everywhere. The program and giveaway are designed for students, who need a computer to take to class and one to do serious work on, but it’s an ideal setup for anyone who works on the move.


--The 2.0 Life

So, with these two “companions” you have portability with one, and size and power with the other, putting in your arsenal a great pair of laptops to tackle all your challenges throughout the school year. HP offers a great combo at a very affordable price for budget conscious students.

The Companion Story


--CampusGrotto.com

The Companion Story

For students, this is the ultimate "dorm" PC. It is powerful enough to serve as a primary PC - while using the HP Mini 110 in class and syncing data back with Syncables software - as well as an entertainment center in often cramped dorm rooms.


--Clinton Fitch

Twitter

• Influencers have 2,800+ Twitter Followers aggregate

• 2,344 Tweets with #hpbts from

Aug. 1- Sept. 9

• Top 50 tweets reached 8,700 people (tweetreach.com)


Twitter

Thousands of people tweeted and re-tweeted the HP Microsoft Back to School Contest . Here GearLive.com’s contest had 755 tweets alone.


Facebook

Reaching over 7,700 facebook friends – each influencer updated his/her facebook page with notices of HP Back to School giveaway, getting more exposure for HP and Microsoft via Facebook


Facebook

Hundreds of people updated their facebook status with ’HP Better Together Giveaway’ as an entry point to the contest at thePrereq.com


“In using the Mini 110 on a recent business trip, I found that it was a much welcomed solution to carrying around a larger Notebook. On my trip I carried only the 110 and its AC adapter so I could charge the battery at night. My trip was only two days long but I was able to use Outlook Web Access to get to my corporate Exchange account and download photos from my digital camera with no problems encountered. The real beauty of the 110 and dv6 combination came into play when I returned home. Instead of having to use USB keys to transfer photos from the Mini to the dv6, I simply fired up Syncables on both PCs and within minutes the documents, photos and other items were synchronized between the PCs. It is a fantastically brilliant solution. “

--Clinton Fitch

“After using the HP Mini 110-1036NR for several days, I think the Mini would make an excellent notebook for people who are looking for an extremely small laptop. Even though the netbook doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a high-end pc, it has more than enough power for most bloggers, moms, dads, and students. However, the netbook won’t suit everyone’s needs. For instance, the netbook probably won’t work as the primary computer for hard core gamers or graphics artists. For power users, the HP Mini would make a good campanion pc for their main system — especially with the included Syncables software for syncing files across multiple computers.”

--Daddy Forever

“What can I say about the mini, it's small and compact (2.89 lbs), perfect for carrying around on a daily basis and not feeling like you have a ton a bricks on your back. Don't let the size fool you, this mini laptop packs a punch!”

--OSNN.net

Authentic HP Endorsements


“The HP Mini 110 Netbook is a great solution for students and professionals who want to carry less with them during the day then, by using Syncables desktop, can synchronize their data to their primary PC in the evenings. It is a light weight yet powerful device that has a fantastic display and keyboard. ”

--Clinton Fitch

“Graphics on the dv6 are simply amazing. Now, I’m not a gamer but did loan the dv6 to a friend who installed Sims3 and Gothic 3 Foresaken. Both are fairly demanding and the ATI Radeon HD 4650 performed superbly. The Blu-ray drive is a superb additon and audio is excellent for a laptop. The 16 inch HD BrightView infinity monitor is fabulous. It’s much larger than what I’ve been working with lately which is a nice change and the picture quality is superb. The processor: 2gig Intel Centrino 2 featuring a Core 2 dual processor P7350 and 4gig of memory, WOW!”

--OSNN.net

“The Mini is the perfect solution for someone who just never got totally comfortable browsing through social networks and typing long emails on their iPhone or BlackBerry. It’s smaller than a composition notebook and ideal for typing notes in class. This brings me to my favorite part of the Mini: the keyboard. It’s almost as big as a regular keyboard, coming in at 92% of the standard size. I actually found it much more comfortable than regular laptop and desktop keyboards”

--ThePrereq

“Starting at just over $600, the HP Pavilion Dv6 is an excellent choice for any college student who needs a good main computer. It includes all the important features of a normal desktop, but with the portability of a laptop. It is designed to work in conjunction with the HP Mini 110, a very portable netbook”

--Debt Free Scholar



http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=series_detail&category=notebooks&series_name=dv6t_series&jumpid=re_r602_bts_psg_jul09_hhobts_dv6t_intel

“Overall, I’m a fan of this computer. My family has always been fairly loyal to HP computers, so it probably comes as no surprise that I like this computer. It’s not perfect for every student, but the price is right for the vast majority of us. If you’re writing papers, playing a few games, surfing the internet, and watching movies (Blu-ray, DVD, and online), this notebook will serve you well. For college students, I give it my stamp of Recommended.”

-- Poorer Than You

“ I can honestly say that this package is the perfect solution to any college student’s computing needs.” --Zen College Life

“The HP Pavilion dv6 is a great laptop that will serve you well and can handle just about anything you can throw at it”

--Building Camelot “First things first for the dv6: this computer is gorgeous. It’s got a huge, HD display, a full keyboard (complete with the right-side number pad – a nice touch). It opened up, booted right up, and got started immediately.” --The 2.0 Life This computer’s a powerhouse. It’s the part of HP’s system that’s supposed to be your main machine, the one where you do heavy lifting. It did great with everything from Photoshop to 3D gaming, and handled an absurd amount of my daily multi-tasking. It’s a large, heavy machine, and not one you’d want to carry around with you, but it’s a perfect and capable desk-based machine, with the addition of portability if you want it.”

--The 2.0 Life



http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=series_detail&category=notebooks&series_name=dv6t_series&jumpid=re_r602_bts_psg_jul09_hhobts_dv6t_intel

HP / Microsoft Branding

College Candy rebranded their site for the days during the giveaway using HP and Microsoft logos on chalkboard theme


Highlight on Windows

“This computer comes with the Windows Vista operating system. Although I have heard some people complain about Vista, I have never had any problems with it. I mostly use my computer for internet browsing, text editing, and occasionally some graphic design, and I have never noticed any problems… I consider Windows Vista to be an excellent operating system for students” --Debt Free Scholar “Windows Vista. It is just a lot cooler than Windows XP” --Studenomics “This is a 64-bit processor and thankfully HP loaded the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate on the dv6t they sent me. The 64-bit OS is really able to take advantage of the processor and the Operating System experience is fantastic with this combination” --Clinton Fitch

“It will be a lot of fun to write the third part of my series on moving back to Windows, since I now have the latest OS upgrades on both to compare. But I guess that I can’t really say I’m moving back to Windows…it’s more like I’m maintaining even more of a balance between two operating systems that I have grown to genuinely like.” --Gear Diary


http://www.geardiary.com/2009/09/06/giving-the-17-macbook-pro-laptop-a-try/

“Having 4 gigs of memory means you can run more applications at the same time and it also means Microsoft Windows Vista will run better on your notebook. Speaking of Vista, the dv6 features the Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit operating system. To be honest, until I played with the HP laptop, I didn’t even know Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate existed. Apparently, the Ultimate edition offers extra programs and features — like BitLocker Drive Encryption, which prevents a thief like Swipe from breaking Windows Vista file and system protections or performing offline viewing of the files stored on the protected drive”

-- Daddy Forever

“First is the storage slot for the Windows Media Center remote control. Since my dv6t came with Windows Vista Ultimate, I have Windows Media Center as part of the standard install. This allows me to view photos, DVDs, TV (with an optional tuner) all while my PC is connected to an external monitor or TV”

-- Clinton Fitch

“Like I mentioned in the last couple of points, I have tons of video and images of the girls and Windows Media Center makes it a breeze to share those with friends and family. The IR remote, which stores in the dv6’s ExpressCard|54 slot, allows you to navigate through Windows Media Center from across the room”

-- Building Camelot



http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/ultimate.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Center

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard

“The dv6 runs on Vista Ultimate, and this is finally the hardware that I’ve been waiting for to dispel any trepidation I may have once had about the operating system. The dv6 is more than capable, and on it Vista is a joy!”

--Gear Diary

“The Mini runs Windows XP, and is intended to do two things: do basic things like Word processing and Web browsing, and last FOREVER. Check, and check.”

--The 2.0 Life

“Microsoft does play a big role. Test out that Windows Media Center, it's amazing!”

--Zen College Life

“The Mini comes with Windows XP, which is totally cool”

--Jill Goes to College



Syncables


I reviewed Syncables the other day – so check it out. Moral of the story, though, is that Syncables is the single best solution I’ve ever come across for keeping computers in sync. Other things sync files, but Syncables syncs everything (Settings, bookmarks, etc.), making it so that your workflow never gets interrupted, regardless of what machine you’re using.

--The 2.0 Life

“Syncables Software took about 15 minutes to set up. Over my home’s WiFi network, I was able to establish a partnership between the two computers, select the folders that I wanted to keep synchronized, and when both computers are turned on, they automatically do the deed.

Syncables


--GearDiary.com

Timbuk2

“What I like best about the Timbuk2 Hemlock Backpack is that I can use it as both a laptop carrier and diaper bag. With the laptop backpack, I have plenty of room for a gigantic laptop, diapers, baby wipes, snot remover, extra clothes, ear plugs, snacks, several bottles of aspirins, and a small baby sitter (don’t forget to make air holes).”

“With the Timbuk2 Hemlock Backpack, I feel like I should go on a spiritual journey with my notebook. And that’s when it’s most useful — going somewhere with your laptop while carrying everything from your closet”


--Daddy Forever

Timbuk2

“Get ready to port your whole desk anywhere. You'll never believe how much fits in here. I fit a 17" laptop, a netbook and 3 days worth of clothes. I bet it will fit all of your textbooks. But the deceptive design will keep you from looking like a bulky hitchhiker.”

“Ingeniously, it's located sideways so that you can swing the bag around on one strap and remove your laptop like it's a satchel. (This easy access is what's had me with the satchel-toting hipsters for so long. No more.)”

“Overall, it's one of the most well-designed laptop bags I've ever seen.”


--HackCollege

Timbuk2


“What I love about the Hemlock, though, it’s that it’s equally suited to carrying your computer to class, and carrying your essentials through the Himalayas. It’s an incredibly rugged, light backpack, with a roll-top for wetness protection (I guess). The bag has a “Swing Around” pouch, so you can swing the backpack onto one shoulder, and have easy access to your laptop.”

“It’s also got space for, like, 21 other laptops, lots of padding for your laptop, a bottle opener (not for your laptop), and just a frightening amount of space. I packed for school this year, and got about 80% of the things I own into the Hemlock. That’s no small feat – I own a lot of seasons of Boy Meets World.”

--The 2.0 Live

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/backpacks/hemlock-backpack

“Thank you for a very informative review Jewel. I can only dream of owning these laptops. The bag would be great for carrying the two laptops! “

--OSNN.net

“I’m about to take off to a 6-months trip around the world really soon. The HP mini 110 would be great for that, with it I’ll be able to keep in touch with my friends and family more often. Other than that, I’m an amateur graphic designer and movie editor and plan on going to the university next year so the HP dv6 will be really good for that”

--Notebooks

“Your review makes me want to go out and buy this product”

--OSNN.net

“We dont have a laptop. But I do know that my husband has looked around and if we could ever afford one he would love to have a HP.”

--Debt Free Scholar

“Before reading your review I was a die-hard desktop kind of girl, this laptop may change my mind.”

--Daddy Forever

Select Readers Comments (Unedited)


“did i mention, the package is awesome? HP's dv series are always desirable one's :)” --The 2.0 Life “my daughter starts college next week..this would be perfect..” --Daddy Forever “Seems like there are increasingly less reasons to buy a desktop if your are going to

college now.” --Hack College “Dual core processors are practically essential for computing these days – so moving to

the dv6 with its two cores would make my home computing life much simpler, being able to run two processor-intensive tasks at once without sacrificing performance. Having a netbook as well would mean that I’d be able to compute and surf on the move without ripping my main machine out of its dock!”

--Gear Diary

Select Readers Comments (Unedited)

