HP junks TV in Europe for global Web 2.0 promo

Hewlett-Packard is shunning TV in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for a 150m global ad campaign to promote its Web 2.0 digital printing capabilities.

Hewlett-Packard is shunning TV in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for a £150m global ad campaign to promote its Web 2.0 digital printing capabilities.

The EMEA campaign for its digital printing products will be focused on the internet. According to Rebekah O’Flaherty, vice-president of imaging and printing group at HP, 50% of the advertising budget has been committed to online.

O’Flaherty says that TV is ineffectual in EMEA and is becoming a “near redundant medium”, although it will still be used in the US.

“The internet is now a global TV system, especially among 18to 30-year-olds,” she add. “Why would I want to spend large sums of money on TV advertising when online video advertising is targeted and optional?”It is the first time that HP has moved away from TV for a major launch.

The campaign, which carries the strapline “What do you have to say?” aims to showcase digital print capabilities for the home and office in the Web 2.0 era and “generate excitement around printing”. In EMEA, the campaign will run only across print, direct mail, in-store and online.

Meanwhile, HP has signed Gwen Stefani and graphic designer Paul Scher to demonstrate how they have used HP products in ads to be screened in the US and online. The ads promote customised products, such as business cards, baby announcements and photo books, which will be available to consumers.