In January 2011, HP pulled off a one-of-a-kind experiential event that bridged the gap between the digital generation and the printed page – tackling the company’s biggest competitor – perceived irrelevance of the printer.

Our challenge was to wake-up people to the relevance and simplicity of HP ePrint technology and get them to experience it across social networks. We had to create an idea that would spark content, engage people on a personal level and build an understanding and advocacy for the technology – enter ePrint Live.

HP ePrint Live put viewers in the director’s chair – enabling them to ePrint improv skit ideas via e-mail to an HP ePrint-enabled printer on stage. The two-hour show, hosted by comedian Rob Riggle, was performed in front of a live audience in New York City and was simultaneously streamed to YouTube, Facebook and a mobile site. For five days following, actors from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre continued to accept skit suggestions to rapidly create custom comedy shorts.

The company integrated earned, owned and paid media activities to socialize HP ePrint. The result was a swell of conversation and advocacy rates that launched from 6 to 50 percent.

Buzz – We engaged YouTube personalities Charles Trippy and The Fine Bros for teaser videos about ePrint Live, which received unprecedented attention. This was accompanied by a YouTube homepage takeover ad and reveals by Mashable.com and the New York Times. We also created digital ads featured on Facebook and across the Google Display Network.

Main Event – A two-hour live streaming show hosted by comedian Rob Riggle with audience inspired skits performed by the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. The show was streamed across YouTube, Facebook and mobile site with a call-to-action to participate. We harnessed HP fans across owned channels and reached audiences through a Twitter storm (promoted and organic).Momentum – Five days of rapid response with the UCB recording custom comedy shorts selected from the 5,000 ePrinted suggestions. The videos were posted on the video channel and sent back to the viewer to share across their networks.

We rose to the challenge – we made ePrint worth considering and worth talking about. We more than doubled the cumulative conversation around ePrint, to reach an all time high and advocacy for ePrint mentions shifted from 6 to nearly 50 percent. Social engagement also increased, with more than 32,000 new Twitter followers, 11.7 million in Tweet reach and more than 62,000 Facebook page visits. The campaign was featured in 133 outlets including an online exclusive with Mashable.The program achieved 1 billion impressions, 2.3 million total video views and nearly half a million minutes of engagement in one day. Viewers sent ePrint suggestions at a rate of 25 a minute during the live show and tuned in for an average of 19.5 minutes; engagement time comparative to a TV sitcom but with a highly targeted and engaged audience, all for the price of one TV commercial.