With more than eight million SMBs in China intent on improving their IT infrastructure, HP needed a long-term focused strategy to create differentiation from local competitors already enjoying solid brand loyalty.
Objectives
The campaign sought to position HP as a trusted partner with an in-depth understanding of the diverse needs of the country’s SMBs. It aimed to build HP’s computer brand awareness and preference among SMBs by demonstrating HP’s unique value proposition and relevance, and grow a database of SMBs for future sales and marketing initiatives to drive HP commercial PC sales.
Targets were growing enterprises and SOHOs with less than 1,000 employees, which have been in operation for more than three years in China and have an annual IT spending exceeding US$30,000.
HP Total Care Launch, China
Strategy/Implementation
HP’s strategy was a ‘Total Care’ campaign offering customized solutions through its broad portfolio of PC products, solutions, services and support tailored to meet SMBs’ needs at different stages of their IT product lifecycle – from choose, use, protect, to transition. It also brought together strategic partners and alliances, such as Bank of China to provide financial support, to help SMBs accelerate their growth potential.
B-M worked with multi-agencies to develop an integrated marketing communication strategy to influence end-user perception -- including research, advertising, point-of-sales branding, sales-promotions, roadshows, and an online portal. The campaign reached audiences through channel partners, media, analysts and associations. Another dimension was to enforce campaign messages to mirror the four product lifecycle of ‘Total Care’. By highlighting one lifecycle stage each calendar quarter, HP delivered more targeted campaign messages that helped brand perception scale up from awareness, to preference, to loyalty.
HP Mobile Experience Center Launch in Guangdong, China
To build anticipation and garner support prior to the campaign launch in China, selected media were sent to the Asia Pacific ‘HP Smart Office 2007: Takin’ Care of Business’ Visiting Journalist Program, where they were given an exclusive preview of the ‘Total Care’ campaign. We also conducted research to better understand the dynamics of the China SMB market.
In Q407, the Total Care campaign was launched with a press event to generate campaign awareness in the SMB market. It was attended by more than 60 media from across China, as well as analysts, customers, and channel partners.
In a second communication wave in Q108, digital media including blogs and BBS forums were utilized to generate brand preference in conjunction with HP’s Spring Promotion program. The following quarter, a Web2.0 digital campaign was rolled out based on a social networking platform which served as a central platform for SMB discussion to retain and grow SMB related user-generated content. Thousands of potential customers were attracted to the online platform, providing a basis for HP’s further sales and marketing activities.
Commercial Segment Spring Promotion
Results
In terms of measurement, the campaign saw significant growth of market share – in the SMB sector overall, in commercial desktop and commercial notebook sectors – both year-on-year and from Q407 to Q108.
Media perception audits conducted in May 08 and December 08 showed a 13% perception change among journalists ranking HP among the top five IT vendors in the SMB marketplace – and similar improvement among media ranking HP as among the top-five technology visionary in the SMB market. Media coverage through the various stages of the program saw more than 850 positive stories delivering key messages.
Online, seven articles were posted in 56 BBS forums, with more than 300,000 click views and over 2,300 comments. Some 61 blog entries, with positive HP messages, were posted with over 299,107 click views. Another online element drove more than 3,000 subscriptions to the SMB social networking platform, with total page views exceeding 1.5 million.