Hewlett Packard Claims $2,500 Savings With Laserjet Printer Campaign

By Peter Lavelle

25 June 2010 13:00 GMT
Image: DailyFill.com

Hewlett Packard has launched a marketing campaign claiming consumers can save $2,500 by switching to its new multifunction laserjet printers.

Bill Rancic and Invanka Trump at HP's campaign launch.

Ink cartridge manufacturer Hewlett Packard has launched a marketing campaign promising businesses they can save up to $2,500 by switching to the company's latest range of laserjet printers. The corporation claims businesses can reduce costs owing to cut-price ink cartridge and paper prices. The new campaign – named “Laserjet Pays You Pack” - is aimed especially at home office and small business users.

To kickstart the marketing campaign Hewlett Packard has partnered with entrepeneurs Invanka Trump and Bill Rancic, and hired agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Highlights include:

• A launch event in Madison Square Park in New York, where Trump and Rancic will “pay pack” attendants with Hewlett Packard gifts.
• 3D online advertising, asking viewers “When was the last time you bought a printer that paid for itself?”
• A social media campaign asking participants what they consider a good return on investment. Responses will be integrated into HP's online banner campaigns.
• An “HP Laserjet Pays You Back” minisite, enabling visitors to calculate the savings they could make by switching to HP's laserjets, and sign up for special offers.
  

Businesses that buy into the campaign could benefit from HP's newest technology in addition to making savings. Earlier this year for example HP unveiled new plug-and-play printers that work instantly on any machine without installing drivers. Businesses hence stand to save both time and money.

HP's Vice President of Laserjet and Enterprise Solutions Ron Coughlin said of the campaign: “Upgrading to an HP Colour Laserjet MFP is like trading in your gas guzzler for a hybrid that pays for itself in gas savings and then continues to pay the owner after that. The campaign helps demonstrate how HP laserjet printers are an investment that keep giving back to your business.”

Comment

I am often wary of marketing campaigns like HP's “Laserjet Pays You Back.” It is after all the objective of marketing to present information selectively, and present that information in the best possible light. This often amounts to misleading the consumer. How then might Hewlett Packard's latest campaign mislead the consumer?

• The means by which consumers can make their $2,500 saving is stated only in the fine print. Customers must print fifty copies of a double-sided glossy brochure twelve times a month to make these savings, according to HP estimates.
• Consumers may be able to recoup the cost of their laserjet printer by buying HP ink cartridges, but they'd make even greater savings buying remanufactured cartridges. HP of course would be loathe to admit this: the company is finding reasons to sue cartridge remanufacturers, including several Eastern businesses at the present time.
  

On the other hand though, Hewlett Packard ought be commended for its “Laserjet Pays You Back” campaign for several reasons. In particular, the company is second to none where customer engagement is concerned. In this case this concerns:

• The campaign's launch event – with free gifts!
• The deeply immersive social media strategy.
  

Hence though I must criticise Hewlett Packard for its probably optimistic savings figure, the company remains a marketing powerhouse. I look forward to seeing how the campaign plays out.

Sources

Dianna Dilworth, 'HP Kicks Off Payback Effort To Promote LaserJet Line,' DMNews.com, 24 June 2010.
Nathan Eddy, 'HP Teams With Trump On Printer Payback Promotion,' ChannelInsider.com, 24 June 2010.
Shaun Nichols, 'HP Touts Cost Savings Of Laserjet Printers,' v3.co.uk, 25 June 2010.