Russell Brand, Manny Pacquiao and Lea Michele star in HP Touchpad ads
Hewlett-Packard has signed up comedian Russell Brand, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, and Glee actress Lea Michele, for its multimillion pound campaign to promote the launch of its first tablet.
The global campaign marks H-P’s first ad appearance on television since the recession and aims to position H-P as a “premium” and “cool” brand.
The three celebrities will each represent a different element of the H-P Touchpad, to point out its differentiators from other tablets in the market.
Russell Brand’s spots will focus on “Just Type, which he dubs his “robot butler” that allows users to search their contacts, apps and Google straight from the home screen of the tab.
Pacquiao’s ads will communicate the tablet’s multitasking aspects, highlighting the array of different things he has achieved in his life, from his boxing career, to being a congressman, to starting a “singing career”.
Lea Michele’s spot features the tablet’s entertainment aspects, including its Beats with Dr Dre speakers and HTML 5 capabilities.
Rebecca Shears, head of marketing for H-P’s UK personal systems group, says: “Our objective is to be a significant player in the tablet market and these ads bring our brand to life by giving it a voice and personality.”
The ads mark Russell Brand’s first appearance in a product ad, which Shears says people “did not expect” from H-P.
“[Russell Brand’s ads] have had a mixed reaction, which is great because we want to create emotion.”
The second largest element of the campaign in terms of spend is online and H-P plans homepage takeovers, rich media display ads and social media campaigns.
