HP Falls Flat on Flickr

18Mar08

Much like music, photos have gone the way of the intangible. No longer do people gather around the old photo album to relive memories. Now they simply upload to Flickr, tag them in Facebook or email to friends and family. It’s all about digital sharing. And while the medium may seem impersonal, the content is far from it.

What’s interesting though is the willingness to make these personal memories public. Photo sharing is almost voyeuristic, yet no one seems to mind. In fact, the masses are embracing it. And so is HP.

I recently stumbled across the Flickr Community Mosaic group. Or more accurately, the HP banner ads on Flickr’s homepage drove me there. HP invites users from all over the world to share their point of view on a variety of pre-determined subjects – RED, JOY, WORLD. Besides stimulating conversation within the group, these photos become part of a greater mosaic, and can be further personalized on the HP Mosaic microsite.

Obviously the underlying message is “express yourself with HP products”. Passive, but clear. Until you click on “What do you have to say?”. Here you have the option to:

• Download Gwen Stefani designs (cards, CD case covers, a personalized Sweet Escape tour book)
• Customize business templates with the help of Paula Scher (whoever that is)
• Learn about the success story of Burton and how to recreate it for your own business

Enter utter confusion about the target. The mosaic project is clearly B2C and leverages the best social media has to offer. But in the next breath, they’re hocking their B2B wares – printer paper, ink cartridges, etc. While the B2B and B2C initiatives may be clear in the mind of the marketer, they’re (unfortunately) mutually accessible to the user.

The whole thing feels poorly planned. HP knew where to reach their target with online ads (on Flickr) and were smart enough to drive traffic to a Flash site (with search marketing). But as always, it’s the details that make the difference between a truly remarkable experience, and one that falls flat. When I click “Share”, I expect the capacity to add my personalized mosaic to Facebook. But instead, it simply posts the link to my profile. Now I ask you: If my picture’s worth a thousand words, why can’t I upload it? Nice try, but overall I give the program a C+.

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Tags: Facebook, Flickr, HP, marketing, mosaic, photography, social media