While reading some of my favorite gadget blogs today, I noticed a couple of banner ads from Hewlett Packard featuring Mike Rowe of TV’s “Dirty Jobs” fame. Being a fan of the show, I had to click on one to see how a guy who is famous for working in the most disgusting occupations around, would pitch a laptop computer.
The resulting link leads you to a web page for HP’s tx2500 series laptop, with a series of short videos featuring Rowe and his crew “on the road”, where Rowe is seen using the featured laptop. The videos are funny, showing off Rowe’s solid comedic talents and aren’t the hardsell for the computer maker that you might expect.
You gotta give HP credit for taking on this kind of advertising for their product. It is very effective and if I were in the market for a Windows laptop, I’d probably be inclined to look a lot more favorably and maybe even buy an HP–based on the fact that the Rowe name got me to their website and then the videos kept me there long enough to wonder about the specs of their laptops and how I might use a laptop that doubles as a tablet PC.
This kind of use of short-length video as both a storytelling device and a very soft-sell ad is what ultimately has to replace the old school model of thirty-second interruptions that can be fast forwarded through on your TiVo or Cable Box DVR.
Take a look for yourself by going to their webpage right here. Just imagine if they had perfected that whole “smell-o-vision” deal.