In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, HP partnered with ABC and its award-winning show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, to help families in New Orleans restore their treasured photos which were damaged in the destruction of the hurricane. The programme was a 3-day event. HP utilized a Mobile Photo Restoration Vehicle, outfitted with computers, scanners, and printers. There were over 300 virtual HP volunteers, from 15 different countries, who volunteered their time and expertise to restore damaged photos. The photos were printed on-site and sent electronically for each family. HP also left product behind to continue the effort.

Extreme Home Makeover, the leader in creating an emotional connection between the consumer and the show content, provided a platform for HP to bundle their product messaging and their image as a compassionate brand/company into one meaningful segment. The consumer was able to tie HP to this project because of their presence in the show, placement of three tags and one billboard aired throughout the one hour show and on-line programs (abc.com and hp.com).

HP efforts and activities were part of a special series featured on ABC “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” entitled “After the Storm”. The show drew 7 MM viewers. The HP microsite listed above received 4.7million impressions and the ABC.com site received 2.4milliom impressions.