Mktg - HP creates experience zones at Airports

Tarana Khan

To promote its latest range of notebook PCs, called Elite Books, HP India has created “experience zones” at various airports in the country for the jet set who shuttle from city to city on business.

HP has already created interactive kiosks at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, where the product benefits of the Elite Book are being showcased through various installations. Next on the list are the Chennai and Hyderabad airports. In all, the top eight cities of the country will be covered in the next three months.

Speaking to afaqs!, Deepti Dang, head, marketing, commercial and SMB, personal systems group, HP India, says, “In today's scenario, it's imperative for the consumer to experience the product and that was the key objective of this campaign.”


Airports were chosen for this activity because that is where the target audience – corporates or professionals aged 18 upwards who travel regularly on business – are to be found. “We wanted to talk to the consumer when he is in the right frame of mind to see the product,” says Dang.

The kiosks have been designed by the Singapore-based integrated marketing communications agency, PMG Asia, which set up shop in India recently. The eight by eight feet kiosks are manned by a promoter and are functional for almost 15 hours a day. The floor of each kiosk is designed to resemble an illuminated keyboard.

To demonstrate the toughness of the Elite Book, it is placed continuously under a running tyre. Its scratch-free surface is highlighted by rubbing steel wool over it. A touch screen explains its features.

Prashant Kaul, general manager, India, PMG Asia, says, “BTL (below-the-line) communication usually involves speaking about the product, but here we wanted to give consumers a first-hand experience.”

Dang says that the kiosks were promoted through inserts in Mint, the business newspaper of HT Media Ltd, which is available at airports. “But we haven't had a problem promoting it because people automatically walk towards it,” she says. The company is also exploring in-flight promotion options.

In Bengaluru, HP has gone a step further and collaborated with a company called WebEx to create a WiFi zone café where travellers who have checked in can surf the Internet on HP notebooks.

The kiosks appear to be intriguing, but are they bringing in buyers? Dang says that in the month since the activity was started, around 80 Elite Books have been sold through orders from these kiosks. The Elite Book is priced between Rs 45,000 and Rs 1,50,000.