Printer rage can ruin your day. HP not only listened but decided to tackle it head-on. When the company introduced printers made to be less hated, agency, AKQA, with Hamlet director, Daniel Lundh, turned that introduction into a series of very human, very relatable scenarios. The bold campaign, enlivened with double meanings and tinged with elegant humour, acknowledged the universal disdain for printers – daring to capture the raw human emotions triggered by printer troubles – from anger, to laughter, tears or apathy.

The campaign ran in the Nordics, BeNeLux, Ireland, and the UK, and resonated with current and potential printer owners across Europe. Facing the elephant in the printer room might have been a bold move, but HP’s sincere and humble approach turned it into the most effective campaign HP has ever made.

It also effectively highlighted some of the features that set HP printers apart. These are fail-proof installation with the HP Smart app, self-healing WiFi, instant Ink delivery and low-cost highly durable refillable ink tanks.

The full campaign included witty TVCs, posters, social media posts, POS material and web banners, breaking free from the industry’s usually mundane communications.

Credits
Client: HP
Client Team: Lance Hill, Hector Joaquin Rodriguez Lopez, Judith Calendly
Agency: AKQA (Copenhagen)
Creative Director: Nicolai Smith
Art Directors: Bruno Marconi, Damon Asadi
Copywriters: Arendse Roland, Noe Sato                        
Account Director: Steffen Blauenfeldt Otkjaer
Agency ProducerSean Manion             

Production Company:  HAMLET
Director: Daniel Lundh
Executive Producers: Ruben Goots, Jason Felstead, Mathias Kerner
Producer: Robin Paul
Post-Producer: Dominique Ruys
Director of Photography: Sander Vandenbroucke
Casting Director: Louis Pons
Make-up: Emilie De Roo
Editor: Nicklas Aming
Music:  Gregory Caron
Sound Design: Gregory Caron
Colour Grade: Xavier Dockx
Image Post-Production: Xav & Coco               
Photographer: Daniil Lavrovski