The Campaign

For most of us it’s nearly impossible to go a day without touching a notebook computer. Fast-moving technology has rendered the PC a commodity. Product features are not the differentiator they used to be. A brand’s emotional connection with the customer and time-to-market advantages are becoming the trump cards. Leveraging the marketing activation concept of “Your Book of Do with Pop Musician Jun Kung,” Lenovo’s IdeaPad U series launch delivered a 360-degree footprint, from technology to lifestyle, print to online media and the blogosphere. In the latest round of ultrabook launches with key competition, Lenovo took the high road by highlighting its “For Those Who Do” brand promises, and adopting a highly integrated campaign strategy to earn loud and clear media buzz: 131 exposures and a massive 36.8 % share-of-voice advantage over seven competing brands.

The Brief

Get ahead of the buzz. Achieving the preset sales target was a given. A communications program was developed to help move the boxes by enhancing brand promises and product values according to specific objectives: • Effectively communicate Lenovo as an early provider of the latest Intel based ultrabooks without performance compromises, reinforcing technology leadership • Achieve qualitative goal of positioning IdeaPad U as a powerful ultrabook series that also offers chic looks for style-conscious consumers • Meet quantitative goal of leading the competitive share-of-voice to maximize brand and product visibility, and generate talkability among key opinion leaders and consumers

Results

Our voice was heard. (and quieted the competition) • Leading Share-of-Voice among PC makers launching ultrabook products • 131 pieces of media exposures in tiny Hong Kong market, representing a 36.8% Share-of-Voice, more than double that of the closest competitor • 78% key message pull-through rate across all media exposures • Headline mentions of “The book of Do”, “Ultra Do” or “1st Ultrabook in market by Lenovo” in 82% of all exposures • 16 favorable blog exposures resulting from lifestyle blogger event • 100% positive-to-neutral tonality among all media and blogger exposures

Execution

Owning the Moment Popular local pop-singer Jun Kung appeared in a variety of above-the-line promotions as well as an onsite consumer event. A tailor-made and larger-than-life augmented reality wall featured a live-jam with Jun, stopping foot traffic for a week outside a popular Hong Kong shopping center. Other executional approaches included: • Curating stories about the pop music idol using the sleek and powerful Lenovo ultrabook to create his music, and as a fashion accessory. • A phased product launch and celebrity campaign, allowing Lenovo to “own” the time-to-market bragging rights against competing brands. • Strategic and camera friendly café venue encouraged photo and video coverage for “Book of Do” launch event. • Follow up publicity campaign for “Your Book of Do with Jun” targeted non-IT, lifestyle driven media for extra 360-degree media exposure. • Engaged bloggers in a high-touch, experiential session to touch and feel the products.

The Situation

The Ultrabook Battlefield Lenovo, the world’s second largest PC maker, launched its latest range of “ultrabook” computers in June 2012. The category was defined by chipmaker Intel as thinner and lighter laptops without performance and battery life compromises. With ultrabooks estimated to account for 42.7% of the notebook market by 2015, the category is a hotly contested battlefield for PC makers. One small problem. Lenovo’s ultrabooks featured Intel’s Ivy Bridge processor, whose product embargo date was pushed back from April to June, leveling the playing field at Lenovo’s expense as competitors now had buffer time to ready their products.

The Strategy

Find the common language Breaking through the marketing and PR silos, the team initiated disruptive planning sessions with Lenovo and its various marketing agencies to identify a concept to fulfill the creative marketing prerequisites while providing an expandable storytelling platform that could be leveraged for PR purposes. The team carefully studied the profile of the IdeaPad U series’ primary target users – the Millennials – and concurred that music was the inclusive common language to engage the Gen Y audience. Jun Kung, a popular local singer-songwriter, was selected as the lead icon for the marketing and ad campaign, and the creative concept of “Your Book of Do with Jun” was born.