electronics

Lenovo Looks To Inject Fun Into Computing

IdeaPad-Y560-Arcade

People use their computers for more than just computing. They're a communications tool that connects people to others through the sharing of videos, photos and other information. But that doesn't mean they can't be fun.  

Lenovo, the Chinese maker of Windows-based computers, is looking to restore the element of fun to computers with a new marketing campaign that asks people "What's Your Idea of Fun?" and then heavily relies on social media for them to share those ideas.

"We want consumers to take away that Lenovo is a fun brand and understands how people might use PCs to talk to each other," Michael Littler, head of the Idea product marketing group at Lenovo, tells Marketing Daily. "We want to come across as a fun brand. This is a first step to do that. We want them to understand that our new PCs using the latest technology of Intel will give you better performance."

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At the center of the marketing effort is www.whatsyourideaoffun.com, which encourages the creation and sharing of photos, slide shows and videos. The site also contains information on Lenovo's Idea computers (the brand designated for consumers vs. the "Think" brand, which is marketed to businesses). The site also features videos of "modders," people who have modified their Lenovo in ways that express their personalities (such as creating an arcade-style video game unit that one can insert a notebook computer to play video games on).

Other elements on the site include a tool that allows consumers to test their current computer's "fun rating," based on their current PC's specs rated against usage scenarios such as creating and sharing videos. (The tool recommends how users can "up their fun" -- such as editing videos better or filling an MP3 player faster -- with a new Lenovo PC.)

"The reason you buy a new PC is to get better performance," Littler says. "Presenting to consumers in more clear terms the performance improvement [of a new computer] will increase their consideration and purchase of a Lenovo PC."

Elsewhere, the site includes an interactive product selector, which allows people to find the most suitable PC for their personality and usage habits (based on a survey with questions on topics ranging from style and design to cost and performance). And there's a video generator that allows users to upload photos, select a soundtrack and generate text to create a 60-second video that they can upload to their social networks.

To promote the Web site, Lenovo is offering several contests that rely on social media and word-of-mouth marketing. For instance, users who want to win their "best fit PC" increase their chances of winning by urging friends to also complete the questionnaire. Similarly, those who upload their videos to Lenovo's official "What's Your Idea of Fun" Facebook page can win a new PC, if they garner enough fan "Like" votes.

Other promotional contests include a chance to meet the modification artists featured on the Web site, as well as a contest for others to submit an idea to modify a PC, with finalists invited to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

1 comment about "Lenovo Looks To Inject Fun Into Computing ".
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  1. Bob Kiger from Videography Lab, October 15, 2010 at 6:53 p.m.

    We were semi-finalists in "Best Mobile Application" Open division by AT&T at this years CTIA show. We wanted to be platform agnostic, anticipating the coming netbook/tablet revolution, so we went to Frys electronics and bought a Lenovo S10-3t which comes equipped with a 3G SIM slot but NO 3G modem.

    It is nearly 6 months and we have yet to get our Lenovo recommended HUAWEI EM770U to connect to AT&T network. We're here to say that Lenovo did not inject any fun at all into our computing world. See:

    http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-S-series-Netbooks/3G-Modems-for-S10-3t-are-a-messy-affair/td-p/244672/page/4

    The entire saga is documented in this thread.

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