HP Strives For A Youthful Makeover Through #BendTheRules

Companies that have been around for like forever are beginning to feel the pinch of old age now. Hence technology giant, Hewlett Packard is on a global makeover mission to look younger through its new campaign ‘Bend the rules’. Here in India, HP has launched the campaign with actor Deepika Padukone, the face of the brand along with a couple of young people who chose to chase their passion instead of sticking to their comfort zone.

In essence, the campaign is celebrating people who are ‘bending the rules’. Interestingly, the brand has introduced a new product that bends too – the HP Pavilion x360, a value-packed convertible PC, which easily converts from notebook, to stand, to tent, to tablet mode.

The campaign is being promoted across multiple mediums including television, print and digital and social media, while also engaging the youth of the country. HP is inviting them to share their stories on how they have bent the rules to achieve success. One winning entry will be made into a short film to be aired on Bindass television channel. Bindass reflects the aspirations of Young India with the aim to be an ‘enabler of purposive action’.

In the TVC starring Deepika set against passengers boarding an aircraft, you see an excited Deepika grabbing a celebrity baker’s Pavilion and telling him how much she adores his decision to leave banking to get into baking and lauds his guts. The story depicts mutual respect for each others’ professions, while they bend the Pavilion a couple of times in the film.

The campaign has a dedicated microsite that celebrates all things that #bendtherules. Apart from the TVC, it features the story of Vijay Singh, the founder of Rajputana Customs that is into designing custom bikes. Vijay had tried his hands in a lot of things from working at a media house, fashion photography, sports journalism to Mass Communication, before stumbling upon his passion for designing bikes. The young achiever has sure bent the rules to explore his calling in life.

The other story features comedian Abish Mathew representing society. Just as society forbids one to explore their dreams, Abish makes a sarcastic observation about society and how it isn’t always right.

To share your own stories of having bent the rules, you can visit the microsite and login with Google. Share a video, image or text story for a chane to have your story showcased on Bindass. One can also upload a video on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube using the hashtag #BendTheRules. These user stories will be featured in the conversation section after undergoing moderation.

HP is making extensive use of its social media pages to invite users to share their stories. A few more youngster stories have been made into videos and being shared on social media. The HP India Facebook page with nearly 1.5 million fans along with its Twitter page have been sharing the TVC and the video stories, while encouraging users to share their story of bending the rules. Conversations have been singularly focused around the campaign hashtag #BendTheRules.

Star in your own short film by just sharing your #BendTheRules story! Know more here: http://t.co/j0IpAy20qd

— HP India (@HPIndia) October 13, 2014

Malavath Poorna was the youngest in the world to climb the Everest. She is our rule bender. #BendTheRules pic.twitter.com/swgaNKjJoW

— HP India (@HPIndia) October 13, 2014

Do you have a #BendTheRules story? Share it with us and you can win big. Participate now! http://t.co/VDPdTm4IWW pic.twitter.com/QUmFwH1qTZ

— HP India (@HPIndia) October 13, 2014

For the young and raring to go

The HP ‘Bend the Rules’ campaign is in sync with the aspirations of the youth today. More and more young people are moving away from conventional systems to explore their dreams, and brands want to play an active part as an enabler. HP, with its range of products designed for an active lifestyle that is always on the go, is sure to come across as the ideal tech companion for these young achievers.

Celebrating their stories and inviting more user stories helps the brand in building its own rebranding story. The incentive of having your story featured on television is a further boost to appeal to the youth. #BendtheRules adds a freshness and youthful appeal to Hewlett Packard, an otherwise ancient brand perceived as a good one for our parents and grandparents! HP has created a new target segment – the young, tech-savvy and aspirational consumer.