UBS analyst Steve Milunovich in his research report on HP.
In terms of marketing, what does the HP brand stand for since being all things to all people means standing for nothing? The company’s tag lines reflect the lack of focus, going from “Invent” during the Fiorina era (when HP was inventing little) to today’s generic “Make it matter.”
Yahoo has the same issue but, I think that will change in the coming months. HP also has the challenge that they have competing priorities. If you take a look at what they’ve been marketing lately it’s all about their cloud. But from an investor perspective how does their cloud strategy not erode their server business? From a customer perspective what is HP advising my environment look like over the next few years? They could have a pretty good story when they figure it out.
Disclaimer – I work for an HP Services competitor – My thoughts are my own.
I remember my HP-35 with great affection, and the rebadged Compaq servers are pretty good, not much else though of note.
Sounds like Capt. Picard: Make it so!
Sounds like they have more confidence, though. They’ve raised guidance.
Reminds me of the great work True’s own Ben Wolstenholme and his Moving Brands did for them starting in 2008: http://www.movingbrands.com/?category_name=hp-work/
HP should have listened.
Also relevant – the following blog post on what the OXO brand stands for, and why it’s important for every brand to stand for something (hint: it becomes a heuristic).
http://sashadichter.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/brand/
Pretty good on hamburgers.
Agreed! Tasty