• by Aaron Baar , June 5, 2012

One ultra-light, ultra-thin, but very powerful laptop, passed among many users, is the hero that brings about eye-opening change in a new campaign from Lenovo, showcasing the company’s new “Ultrabook” computers. 

In a new global effort, the Chinese computer maker looks to show how the devices empower people to make great things happen through innovative thinking. The centerpiece of the campaign is a five-minute, cinematic video that shows a group of young people secretly passing an Ultrabook to each other as they work on some sort of covert project. 

The video begins with a programmer waking up from sleeping at his desk with obvious inspiration. He writes a program, then slips the Ultrabook into his backpack, transporting it (while trying not to attract the attention of strangers) to another person’s apartment, where he slips the computer under the door. The intrigue continues with each person leaving the book for another person (one places it on a bookshelf in a library, for instance), along with cryptic messages (such as “People are getting impatient”). At the end of the video, the team uses the laptop to create a dazzling light and music display in an unidentified city’s center.

The new “Book of Do” campaign is intended to tie in with Lenovo’s other consumer marketing efforts that use the tagline “For those who do.” That overarching campaign highlights the ways in which people use technology to accomplish something, rather than just using it as a badge. 

The video, as well as print and online advertising, will run in several global markets, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Russia, China, India and Japan. In the United States, Lenovo is also partnering with DoSomething.org and Microsoft’s Bing search engine to connect with its target demographic of college students. Beginning in July, the three companies will embark on a promotion, “The Hunt: 11 Days of Doing,” through which consumers will receive clues on service-related tasks to complete for a chance to win an Ultrabook.