AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

HP’s CMO Hints at Upcoming Marketing Plans - Advertising Age

Adds McGarryBowen to Roster, but Won’t Discuss Agency’s Assignment

Hewlett-Packard’s new chief marketing officer has begun to make his mark on the agency lineup handling the $1 billion-plus global brand.

Michael Mendenhall, senior VP-CMO, in an interview with Advertising Age, said McGarryBowen will be handling an unspecified corporate assignment on a project basis. Mr. Mendenhall said the assignment does not have an effect on the marketer’s global branding effort, which remains at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. He also said the project is not for any of HP’s three divisions.

“We are adding McGarryBowen to our roster of agencies,” said Mr. Mendenhall. “HP has significant relationships with a number of agencies that contribute to our success. We are continually seeking ways to be more effective across all aspects of our business, and advertising is no exception.”

A sustainability effort?
HP declined to discuss the nature of the assignment, but in a presentation March 11 at a conference sponsored by the Economist, Mr. Mendenhall discussed a number of trends in marketing, one of which was sustainability, the hottest of environmental buzzwords. He said a company could not simply call itself “green” by way of buying carbon credits. Mr. Mendenhall said HP has developed a device that could reduce the amount of energy used by computers in data centers, and that it is thinking about a push to encourage consumers to turn off their computers at night.

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