Our primary competitor, EMC, was the category leader by far. But not because they had a better product.The fact is, they didn't. In a side-by-side comparison, HP's 3PAR StoreServe Storage offered multiple and measurable advantages over EMC.
In a category where CTOs and CIOs are very reluctant to switch technologies, we had to give them an extremely compelling reason why the #2 name in the category should be their first choice.
The objective was simple: create awareness and bring HP into the conversation among EMC World attendees. The KPI's were:the number of tweets/use of identified hashtag and impressions.
With the yearly EMC World conference coming up in Las Vegas, we saw the opportunity to reach a huge number of industry people with the message, HP says "Yes" when EMC says "No." We positioned EMC World 2014 as the "Land of No", and launched 72 Hours of Yes in and around the convention at the Venetian Hotel. By engaging attendees via Twitter, we involved them in a brand experience that put them front and center and let them co-create the story—and ultimately become spokespeople for the brand. In essence, the very people we were trying to reach became part of the vehicle we were using to reach them. They voluntarily jumped on the HP bandwagon. In fact, they lined up to do it.
HP 72 Hours of Yes
Objective/goal:
When you have a superior product but are sitting tight at second place, it's time
to do something about it. Despite offering faster, more cost effective storage
solutions, HP Storage consistently came in behind their main competitor EMC in
market share. We needed to switch the focus and make HP the star of their competitor's event,
EMC World. With over 15,000 tech industry pros from around the globe in
attendance, we set out to let them know how HP Storage gives them more than
EMC.
How did we do that? By creating a positive disruption at a competitive event,
owning the conversation, being nice, and saying yes.
Idea and execution:
We seized the opportunity to make EMC's biggest annual event ours. To play off
an HP print ad positioning EMC as the "Land of No"—as in no Tier-1 capabilities
at a midrange price, no 8X faster provisioning, and no guarantees like HP—our
strategy was to give EMC World attendees what they were missing out on: the
yes.
Enter 72 Hours of Yes, a world where you could tweet a request to HP and—you
guessed it—they'd say yes. Centered on Twitter, all attendees had to do was
tweet us an unthinkable, off-the-wall wish and get ready for our quick response.
To get the buzz going, we got attendees from the get-go with OOH and in-person
tactics. Our team offered EMC guests free transportation to the hotel, and 72
Hours of Yes posters took over digital bus shelters and taxi toppers.
Back at the Venetian Hotel—the site of EMC World—we set up the 72 Hours of
Yes headquarters right smack in the middle of the action. Our HP Yes Team was
there all day, ready to spread the positivity and reel attendees in. On-site, they
escorted participants to claim their prizes. Behind the scenes, our team
constantly monitored incoming tweets, assuring the requests abided by the
Terms & Conditions before saying "yes".
We granted a huge range of incredible yesses, all in real-time. From helicopter
rides in the Grand Canyon, to Cirque du Soleil training, to getting inked at the
local tattoo parlor. But 72 Hours of Yes wasn't just reserved for the daredevils of
Vegas. We also gave out spa packages, show tickets, cooking lessons, shopping
sprees, and then some. We said "yes" like there was no tomorrow. Luckily for
EMC World goers, there was a tomorrow. And a day after that.
As the yesses flowed freely, our team tagged along to film and photograph all the
action. In addition to posting original, exciting, and shareable content throughout
the event, we retweeted our fans and participants to keep the hype and positivity
going strong.
Word spread like wildfire and user engagement went through the roof, taking
EMC World attendees out of their planned events and into HP's 72 Hours of Yes.
Results:
It only took 72 hours for us to hijack EMC's event and turn the spotlight onto HP.
Within hours, our Twitter handle gained hundreds of followers tweeting their
requests. By the end of EMC World's first day, #72hoursofyes made its way to
the top of the EMC World chatter, claiming the number one most popular hashtag
in the EMC World cloud.
Our unimaginable yesses were pushed out to HP's social media and shared out
to the masses by participants on their own personal Twitter and Facebook
accounts. We helped HP make a whopping 1,355,000 earned impressions in just 3 days.
We grew HP's Storage business at their main competitor's event. And most
importantly, EMC World attendees walked away with a positive experience—all
courtesy of HP.
