HP to put women and youth first

Singapore - In a bid to segment its customer base, HP is set to adopt more of a targeted approach to marketing and will be more cautious with its marketing dollars next year.

Satjiv Chahil, senior vice-president of global marketing at HP, said today "youths, women and small and medium sized businesses, remain our priority in the region, besides of course our core business".

On HP's marketing approach during the current tough economic times, Chahil said the company will be cautious in spending and much more strategic in its approach. Chahil increased the share of digital in HP's marketing media mix form 10% to 30% and lessened its expense to marketing ratio.

Off late, HP has been using product design to differentiate amongst its target audience by offering products that are specially designed for them. One example is the Vivienne Tam-designed Ultra-Mobile PC.

According to Chahil, HP did not intend to offer its female customers the same products with a superficial colour change, but built one that is specifically made for them. The 10.2 inch screen, light weight laptop launches soon in Singapore.

HP's market share stands close to 18.8% and boasts a growth rate of 30.1%, compared to its keenest competitor Dell which has a market share of 14.9% with a 2.3% growth rate.