WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING:A short review of select initiatives

WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING:Contents1. 31 Days of the Dragon—From $10M write-off potential to sold out!

2. HP Magic Giveaway—Stronger brand affinity through multi-product giveaway that recipients were encouraged to share with needy individuals or favorite causes.

3. HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition—Laser-focused awareness, consideration and preference driven at a rock-bottom cost.

4. HP Better Together Giveaway—Spot-on messaging of companion PC solution with significant sales lift!

5. HP ENVY Local Marketing—Super-positive engagement with HP’s premium line and increased sales!

31 Days of the DragonGoal: Sell through significant excess inventory in last four months of life.

Target(s): Tech enthusiasts including gamers and photographers.

Program: Generate awareness and sales of HP’s premium 20” laptop by enabling bloggers to give HDX PCs away via contests they define. Dominate web traffic and conversations for a month by announcing winners over the course of 31 days.

Tactics: • Dedicated influencer-developed web site and badge.• Laptop configured with Intel Extreme CPU and bundled with

games, photo and video S/W plus Blu-ray films ($5.1K value).• 31 unique programs defined by bloggers whose winners were

announced over 31 consecutive days.

Blogs: Absolute Vista, Ars Technica, Bleeping Computers, Blink, Boston Pocket PC, Digial Inspirations, Digital Home Thoughts, Digital Mediaphile, Gear Live, Geek, GeekNewsCentral, Geekzone, GottaBe Mobile, Hardware Geeks, I Started Something, JK On the Run, Last 100, Lockergnome, MediaBlab, Neowin, Notebooks, OSNN, Planet x64, Slashdot Review, The Digital Lifestyle, The Gadgeteer, The Green Button, The Tablet PC, What the Tech, Windows Connected, Windows Now. (Combined readership = 12M/month.)

Partner(s): Intel (funding); Microsoft (S/W, games); Corel (S/W).

Timing: May 9 June 8, 2008

Contest went completely viral!

Product sold out before its discontinuance.

Overall: • 125 countries reached in 40 languages• 25K contest entries• 0 negative commentary• 84% increase in HP HDX laptop direct store sales;

lift sustained for 3 months (until sold out).• 14% increase in overall HP direct store traffic• 10% increase in overall laptop direct store sales• Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association WOMMIE• HP Corporate Marketing CIRCLE award

Awareness: • 50M impressions (Alexa data)

• 380K links tied to “31 Days of the Dragon” Search

• 10K primarily on YT but also Blip.tv, Vimeo, etc.

ROI: 32 (incremental net revenue / total program cost)

Results!

31 Days of the Dragon HighlightsOver 1M people watched Chris Pirillo’s numerous videos promoting the contest, the product and HP.

10M people watched videos produced by contestants, bloggers and winners including product commercials, in-depth reviews and unboxing videos, plus thank you-focused videos directed towards HP.

Bloggers supported the contest and each other with Web 2.0 tools explaining the program in detail.

HP Magic GiveawayGoal: Drive incremental awareness of Holiday ‘08 featured products.

Target(s): Tech enthusiasts and key demographics including women with children, college students, and Hispanics.

Program: Drive an emotional connection with the HP brand through a significant product gifting during the major economic downturn.Drive incremental awareness by enabling bloggers to review products and give them all away via contests they define. Then encourage their winners to give some of the products to a charity or individual(s) in need. Dominate web traffic during the critical weeks between Black Friday and New Year’s Eve.

Tactics: • Link reviews/contest updates to HP-developed campaign site.• Promote through HP banner ads on blogs and in-cinema ads.• Award package: HP TouchSmart PC, HP HDX laptop, HP

Pavilion dv4 laptop, HP Wireless AIO printer, HP Mini 1000, Microsoft Office 2007, Kung Fu Panda, Corel VideoStudio.

• 50 unique contests defined by 50 bloggers over 5 weeks.

Blogs: Barb's Connected World, Bleeping Computer, Boston Pocket PC, Carlos Alberto, Chris Pirillo, CiberPrensa, Composite, Digital Home Thoughts, Digital Inspiration, Down-to-Earth Mama, Ellax, Gadgetell, Gear Diary, Gear Live, Geek, Geek News Central, Geeks to Go!, GeeksRoom, Geekzone, Gotta Be Mobile, HackCollege, I Started Something, InfoWester, JK On the Run, La Bitacora, Last 100, Lilliputing, Living In Theory, MediaBlao, Merlot Mom, Moosh In Indy, Morningside Mom, Neowin, Notebooks, Noticias Tech, One Day/One Job, OSNN, Planet x64, Slashbot Review, SlashGear, Small Biz Vista, Stop, Drop & Blog, Student Bloggers, Study Hacks, Techie Diva, Techmamas, The Digital Lifestyle, The Gadgeteer, Union de Bloggers, Windows Connected

Partner(s): Microsoft (funding, S/W); Dreamworks (DVD); Corel (S/W).

Timing: November 24 December 31, 2008

Overall: • Blog sites located in 15 countries; winners in 20• 200K contest entries• 20K reader comments• Very positive sentiment across the board• NEW Notebooks.com Editors’ Choice award

created for the HP Mini 1000 during program

Awareness: • 50M page views (Alexa data) • 30M unique views• 11M ad views

Search: • 880K links on Google• 2.6M links on Yahoo!

• 8.7K videos

ROI: n/a (ID tracking numbers not available)

Results!

HP Magic Giveaway HighlightsCore target and strategic new audiences addressed with comprehensive, media-rich content! • From GeeksRoom.com, translated from Spanish: “I'm going to keep 1 PC and

donate the rest to the Pablo IV Shelter, where I've been a volunteer since 2001 -a year of total crisis in Argentina. After a few years of crying about everything we'd lost in the peso crisis, I stopped my navel-gazing and decided to help others worse off than me. The shelter helps families who're not just very poor, but who have serious problems. I volunteer in the bakery with the mothers selling bread and have created an Excel macro that tracks their attendance, sales and earnings. We're also setting up a computer workshop and need PCs for it, so winning this contest is perfect.“

• From PlanetX64.com: “I have taught high school Business classes for almost eighteen years now. My school has a diverse population and almost three-quarters of them are eligible for free or reduced lunch. We can’t afford to keep up with the technology that our students need to be exposed to. Many of my students do not have access to technology at home. When I heard about HP’s Magic Giveaway, I was so excited because I felt this would help my students in such a major way. Imagine $6,000 in HP technology for my classroom.“

• From Notebooks.com: “I am amazed at how this giveaway has wonderfully impacted so many people… The children at Children's Hospital and Research Center, Oakland: I was excited to find that we have the exact same idea for how the TouchSmart PC can be used to serve the children as they bravely and patiently go through treatment. Your idea to use the netbook for the bed-confined teens is excellent… May HP be blessed to see how their contest is a blessing to others! Thank you HP!!!

Contest winners expressed deep appreciation for HP’s generosity.

Overall: • 30% of unpaid search results for “HP Vivienne Tam” accounted for by influencer content

• 300 reader comments on 60 posts• 80% positive commentary; 20% neutral• HP Corporate Marketing CIRCLE award Finalist

Awareness: • 12M page views (Alexa data) • 7M unique views• 11M ad views

• 11K backlinks

• 16 videos; 17K views; 31 comments

• 3.7K friends; 371 photos posted; 73 updates posted

• 285 tweets “HP Vivienne Tam”; 66 “… Mini 1000”

• 2.2K total views; 805 photos posted; 9 albums

ROI: n/a (most participants were non-affiliates and not assigned ID tracking numbers)

HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam EditionGoal: Drive awareness of a 1st-of-a-kind netbook designed to coordinate

with a significant fashion designer’s collection prior to availability.

Target(s): Female online influencers including gadget girls, fashionista’s, and head- of-household moms; Mac users.

Program: Drive continuous online conversation and content generation/ proliferation about the ground-breaking HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition during the 60 days prior to its order date through influencer reviews and giveaways, plus events during NYC’s Spring Fashion Week.

Tactics: • Drive traffic to the HP Mini Vivienne Tam pre-launch site.• Encourage participation in HP’s Affiliates program.• Seed influencers with a Mini to review and Mice to giveaway.• Encourage influencer enthusiasm through participation in

Fashion Week events that include demos and a reception with a preview of the collection hosted by Vivienne Tam.

Blogs: A Mom in Red High Heels, Chip Chick, Digital Home Thoughts, Gear Diary, Gear Live, Gotta Be Mobile, Liz Henry, Mama Bird Diaries, Mobile PC World, Moosh in Indy, Morningside Mom, Notebooks, NY City Moms & More, OSNN, Ponzarelli, Techie Diva, Techmamas, Technology Starlet, The Art of Accessories, The Coveted, The Gadgeteer, Vivir Latina.

Partner: Vivienne Tam

Timing: January 1 – February 28, 2009

Results!

HP Mini Vivienne Tam HighlightsInfluencers enjoyed the event and delivered even more enthusiastic content for the product during and after it.

Continuous unique content propagation!

“We had such a great time at her boutique which was full

of beautiful women admiring both Vivienne Tam’s new Fall 09′ collection as well as the Vivienne Tam HP Mini. One wall was even lined with HP TouchSmart computers so bloggers could update their blog while at the party! All in all, I was impressed by how gracious Ms. Tam was as she talked to her guests, signed their HP Minis in gold ink, and posed for pictures. She truly is awesome!” Techie Diva

Nearly 50% of unpaid Google search results for “HP Vivienne Tam Mouse” accounted for by content linked to the mouse giveaway.

Overall: • 29% seasonality-adjusted sales lift during campaign• 3.2K reader comments on 186 posts• 95% on message and positive

Awareness: • 14M page views (Alexa data) • 8.5M unique views

• 15K backlinks

• n/a

• 7.7K friends reached multiple times

• 2.8K followers—top 50 tweets reached 8.7K; 2.3K tweets from influencer-created #hpbts.

ROI: n/a

Back-to-School Better Together Giveaway Goal: Drive awareness and sales of the notebook and netbook featured

in HP’mainstream seasonal campaign.

Target(s): Primary—college-bound students; secondary—decision-making parents; tertiary—tech enthusiasts.

Program: Drive authentic, real-life online conversations and content throughout the back-to-school selling season around the benefits of using both high-performance HP dv6 laptops and portable Minis, plus the ease of keeping their files in sync with preloaded Syncables software. Drive sales via influencer-exclusive offers.

Tactics: • Link reviews/contest updates to HP-developed campaign site and blogger-developed giveaway site.

• Promote through HP banner ads on blogs and social sites.• Award package: HP Pavilion dv6t, HP Mini 1100, Timbuk2

backpack, Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition.• Enable influencers to promote exclusive “Deal of the Week”

offers through the HP Home and Home Office Store.

Blogs: Building Camelot, Campus Grotto, Clinton Fitch, College Candy, College Times, Daddy Forever, Debt Free Scholar, Gear Diary, Gear Live, Geeks Room, Geekzone, Green Panda Treehouse, Hack College, Kill Jill Goes to College, Mocha Dad, Notebooks, One Day One Job, OSNN, Poorer Than You, Studenomics, Student Bloggers, Study Successful, The 2.0 Life, The Prereq, Zen College Life

Partners: Microsoft (funding, software,); Timbuktu

Timing: July 25 – September 10, 2009

Results!

Back-to-School Better Together Giveaway Highlights Notebook-netbook companion story 100% on message on all sites! Authentic, positive influencer endorsements in reviews!

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

“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

“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

Back-to-School Better Together Giveaway Highlights Effective use of social tools!

2.3K tweets with #hpbts betweem 8/1 and 9/9.

Top 50 tweets reached 8.7K people (tweetreach.com).

Hundreds updated their Facebook status with ’HP Better Together Giveaway’ as an entry point to the contest.

Gear Live’s contest generated 755 tweets alone!

Overall: • 20% higher average sales versus comparable markets; 33% higher in one market.

• 0.15% CTR on vertical ad placements on 41K impressions @ $35 CPM

• 25K social media impressions• 2K attendees; 1K contest entrants• Mentions on Sirius/XM and college radio stations• 83 comments on 25 blog posts

Awareness: • 5M unique views

• n/a

• 5 pages created; 4K friends reached; 59 wall posts; 675 photos posted

• 17.5K followers.

HP ENVY Launch Local Marketing EventsGoal: Drive awareness and sales of the new HP ENVY notebook line.

Target(s): Digital creatives (photo, music and video prosumers); Mac users.

Program: Generate enthusiasm for the new brand by recruiting influencers addressing the key targets to design, promote and run events in their markets. Their challenge: integrating ENVY notebooks into events in ways that ensure natural, compelling engagement in order to capture highly brand-loyal Apple and Sony user attention.

Tactics: • 10 hyper-local events targeting the ENVY line’s Personas.• Include ENY notebooks at events for demos and giveaways. • Showcase differentiating product attributes—Beats Audio™,

Instant On, night vision webcam, extra-bright display with wide viewing angles, unique finish/great design, full-version Adobe photo and video S/W, speed, power and battery life.

• Place ads on participating blog sites where possible.• Distribute co-branded Best Buy collateral at events.• Co-marketing with flyers, posters, customized press releases,

sharing through local blogs, forums and communities, radio.

Blogs: Blog is Watching (Seattle), Chicago Convergence (Chicago), Crazy Hood (Miami), Create Digital Music (New York), EpicFU (Los Angeles), Geekadelphia (Philadelphia), Natpe (Los Angeles), Notebooks (San Francisco), Ready Set DC (Washington), Wheel Questions (Boston)

Partners: Microsoft; Intel; Best Buy

Timing: November 19, 2009 – January 21, 2010

Results!

HP ENVY Launch Local Marketing Event HighlightsSAN FRANCISCO

• SF Photography Group Meetup featuring fire dancers at dusk in Dolores Park.

• Best pic contest on restaurant rooftop afterwards with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

• Photographers loaded their shots on ENVYs.• ENVY notebooks projected the images.• Winner awarded an HP ENVY 15.• Participants “didn’t know HP made such nice

PCs”; some expressed intent to buy.

LOS ANGELES• Arranged with National Association of

Television Production Executives.• Panel of online video experts spoke about

the industry’s challenges and opportunities.

• Followed by cocktail reception at Writer’s Boot Camp in Santa Monica.

• 100 attendees + 7K viewers of live-streamed session and 3K chat room attendees.

SEATTLE• 10 local DJs spun original material using

the HP ENVY 14 Beats™ Edition laptop.• 750 attended in 5 hours.• Local hip hop promoter Gene Dexter

streamed live to 75K viewers worldwide.• Promoted in D-List (local lifestyle)

magazine which has 75K subscribers.

WASHINGTON• “For the love of DC” held in LongView Art

Gallery.• Showcased artwork and live music from

up-and-coming local artists.• HP ENVY Lounge showcased ENVY PCs for

viewing and use.• HP ENVY, Intel and Best Buy logos

projected on walls.• 600 art patrons and enthusiasts enjoyed 5

continuous hours of entertainment.

THANK YOU!