HP's Pavilion x360 hybrid laptop is flexible (literally). It bends and twists in unimaginable ways. Its versatility makes it capable of handling most any situation. But, would it capable of finding a ghost? That's what The Ghost Wave campaign aimed to find out. For several months, audiences around the world followed big wave surfer Ian Walsh as he used HP technology to hunt down a modern-day sea monster. The project launched as a real-time social event on Twitter and YouTube. It also became a documentary film, TV campaign and live storytelling event, among other deliverables.
Ghost Wave The Film was originally released on HP's YouTube Channel and later published on different media outlets like Surfline.com, Red Bull Media, Outside Magazine, etc.
To build engagement around the campaign, we created a custom robot printer. By Tweeting the hashtag, users could be included on Ian's journey by having their handles printed on his surfboard in real-time.
A custom YouTube Channel provided a hub where fans could engage with the campaign. The site consisted of three sections and a landing page with content evolving throughout the campaign. The Ride With Ian page contained a live feed of the robot printing Twitter handles on the surfboard. Along with this feed, an interactive map allowed users to check out surf conditions around the world. The Conversation page became a social hub for the #BendTheRules hashtag while the final page, x360 Films, showcased featured subjects who were trailblazing Rule Benders in various fields. An interactive product overlay provided a chance to really explore the product through a 360º user controlled spin.
Fans were able to vote for the place with the craziest waves to help influence Ian's journey. Users based their decisions on real time data from Surfline that showed weather and storm activity along with wave heights.
The Conversation Page aggregated all of the #BendTheRules content from people all over the world. Users showed us how they bent the rules with Tweets, Instagram photos, and YouTube videos. Animated infographics showed pulses of activity as more submissions came in.
