• International Herald Tribune, Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:15 PM

Hewlett-Packard has included viral marketing as part of an edgy, new global campaign designed to create a hipper image for the computer company. The viral portion of the effort consisted of an unusual Web site that debuted during the World Cup soccer tournament called FingerSkilz.tv. The site showed close-up videos of a man's hand on a desktop, using two fingers to perform soccer tricks with a wadded-up paper "ball." It attracted more than 180,000 unique visitors, prompted widespread discussion on blogs, and moved imitators to create their own "fingerball" videos and post them on the Web. Rumors swirled that the site was supposedly the brainchild of a bored young office worker, but it was later revealed to be a "viral" ad from HP. HP executives say the new campaign, which includes television and print advertising in addition to a variety of edgier approaches, is aimed at shaking up perceptions of the company as slightly stodgy. That image has been reinforced by conservative corporate brand campaigns with themes like "everything is possible."

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