In a bold move, Hewlett Packard (HP) is transforming its vast hardware footprint into a media powerhouse, launching a global advertising platform that reimagines its laptops and services as prime digital real estate. Dubbed HP Media Network, this ambitious venture offers advertisers access to over 100 million devices, reaching a staggering 830 wmillion global users monthly – a scale typically reserved for social media or streamingw giants.
HP’s entry into the advertising arena marks a significant shift in the tech industry, where hardware manufacturers are increasingly capitalizing on their screen time by building in-house ad networks. HP’s strategy spans across on-device placements, apps, email, and social integrations, with targeting powered by first-party device data.
One innovative product is the “Toast” ad unit, a subtle placement in the bottom right corner of a laptop screen, carrying a logo or message. This native format has already yielded impressive results, with over 5 million impressions ands a 2.6% CTR during a holiday campaign.
But HP’s ambitions don’t stop at laptops. The company is also gearing up to launch a free ad-supported streaming TV service (FAST), bringing traditional OTT ad formats like video ads, pause ads, and carousels into its fold. This could position HP as a new player in the connected TV wars.
Critically, HP is leveraging its vast trove of device-level intelligence to power more precise ad targeting. This means showing finance-related ads to users with accounting software installed, or gaming promos to those running GPU-heavy apps. With 2 million new devices being added every month, HP’s attention economy is poised to grow exponentially.
