HP and Dragon Training
How to Train Your Dragon, from DreamWorks Pictures opened on Friday and promptly blew fire over most of the competition. Numerous outlets reported the film was Number 1 at the box office this past weekend, despite somewhat slower ticket sales than expected.
In case those HP commercials featuring New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby (perhaps most well-known in this country for his role on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords) have somehow managed to escape your attention, HP partnered with DreamWorks to enable those pesky flying reptiles to soar off the screen and into your tub of popcorn.
HP points out that the film used an arsenal of their equipment, including ProLiant servers, DreamColor displays, Z800 Workstations, and other items.
That horsepower was sorely needed to meet the demands of the 3D film. As a comparison, 2001’s Shrek required more than 6 terabytes of data and nearly 5 million render hours. How to Train Your Dragon needed more than 100 terabytes of data and more than 50 million render hours.
See the original post here:
HP and Dragon Training
Even Dr. Dre Is In HP’s $40 Million "Let’s Do Amazing" Ad Campaign [Hp]
HP spent $40 million on their new "Let's Do Amazing" ad campaign. For those big bucks they managed to get Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords and Dr. Dre. And an odd sense of humor. More
HP begins rebranding campaign with “Let’s Do Amazing” ads
Most people in the world hear Hewlett-Packard and think “printers.” And who can blame them? Since the relatively recent emphasis on the “HP” instead of “Hewlett-Packard,” and the general consumer move away from printers, HP hasn’t really done anything noteworthy — well, other than thrive despite the decline of the business in which they made their fortune. It’s like the old joke about the bricklayer and the sheep — but instead of drowning their sorrows in gin, HP is drowning them in money in an effort to rebrand the company. To that end, they’ve created a series of ads with the questionable tagline “Let’s Do Amazing.”
It’s not much of a time investment: a few 30-second spots with Flight of the Conchords‘ Rhys Darby bumbling around some professionals who appreciate what HP does. Won’t you join me for a look?
It reminds one not of the consumer-oriented (and also HP-centric) Laptop Hunters ads from Microsoft, but of more generalized stuff like ads from GE and HTC. Healthymagination, another linguistically questionable series, strives to show how GE is everywhere, working with everyone. HTC modestly states they are “Quietly brilliant,” which suggests that you just don’t know how awesome HTC is because they haven’t told you. “Let’s Do Amazing” suggests that marketing couldn’t think of anything specific that only HP does.
The tagline thing is, I think, a misguided trend, since the taglines never last more than a single ad campaign and the most important part, the product and the company that makes it, are often deliberately sidelined so the “concept” can show through. Remember the Seinfeld/Gates ads? All anyone remembers is Gates wiggling his bum. Apple’s Mac/PC ads, while conceptual, at least focus on features, however misrepresented. The take-away is easy. What is the take-away from these HP ads? “All these people use HP for stuff I never see or use.” Does HP want to place themselves in the meta-technology sector, like IBM? Then why advertise with a popular actor and people like Dr. Dre?
HP used to make crappy PCs and tons of printers. Now they make decent PCs, tablets and touchscreens, and are doing seriously good things with AMD in the mid-range/ultraportable sector — but we don’t really see that, or anything really, in these ads. They grab your attention but fail to advance their case in any way with the viewer. Still, it’s nice to see HP pushing back; we can probably expect a few more like these, and maybe even catch a glimpse of something somebody might be able to buy.
Update: Eh, maybe I’m crazy about the name. I thought everyone called them “Hewlett-Packard” until like 2000. Maybe not.
Go here to read the rest:
HP begins rebranding campaign with “Let’s Do Amazing” ads
HP rolls out ‘Let’s Do Amazing’ ad campaign
Continue reading HP rolls out 'Let's Do Amazing' ad campaign
HP rolls out 'Let's Do Amazing' ad campaign originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Peter Jackson Now Accepting Applications For Extras in The Hobbit [Lord Of The Rings]
Quick, grab the ent-draught and gather 'round, for I have some exciting news from Middle-Earth! Peter Jackson has put out word that extras for The Hobbit are in dire need. Fancy being in the LOTR prequel? Read on...
Director Guillermo del Toro and executive producer and co-writer Peter Jackson have just a few requests for the hairy-footed: applications are accepted only by snail mail, a casting video must be included, and New Zealand citizens get priority over other nationalities.
I'm well aware that the Hobbit was set sometime between the "Dawn of Færie" and the "Dominion of Men," but surely their application requirements could be more suited to the 21st century? If only so we can chuckle at YouTube entries of curly-haired Kiwis lisping over their lines. We might even spot a new Figwit that way, destined to go on to greats things like Flight of the Conchords. [PopWatch]
Continued here:
Peter Jackson Now Accepting Applications For Extras in The Hobbit [Lord Of The Rings]
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Extra Application Process Is Way Too 20th Century [Lord Of The Rings]
Quick, grab the ent-draught and gather 'round, for I have some exciting news from Middle-Earth! Peter Jackson has put out word that extras for The Hobbit are in dire need. But he's doing it old school for some reason.
Director Guillermo del Toro and executive producer and co-writer Peter Jackson are taking applications via snail mail, a casting video must be included, and New Zealand citizens get priority over other nationalities.
I'm well aware that the Hobbit was set sometime between the "Dawn of Færie" and the "Dominion of Men," but surely their application requirements could be more suited to the 21st century? If only so we can chuckle at YouTube entries of curly-haired Kiwis lisping over their lines. We might even spot a new Figwit that way, destined to go on to greats things like Flight of the Conchords. [PopWatch]
Follow this link:
Peter Jackson's The Hobbit Extra Application Process Is Way Too 20th Century [Lord Of The Rings]