Influx

Recent rumors circulating in the news media suggest that HP could be ready to kill the Palm brand, or move it into the background.

Obviously, Palm had some cool technology and an operating system that could be of use to HP, but isn’t the fact Palm isn’t HP, interesting?

HP has spent millions on trying to make its brand cool and despite the Gwen Stefani sponsorship deals and Jay Z ads, it hasn’t quite bridged the gap, it still seems like a stodgy, solid engineering company.

In a world where consumer electronics/phones and other gadgets are ostensibly fashion items, it’s tough for HP to play effectively in this space.

Given that Apple is cool, surely HP could use some of its own?

I am not saying Palm was the coolest brand on the planet, but it was different and had an unusual take on the user experience. It also had a devoted army of loyalists who had worshiped the brand through thick and thin.

Again, when engineers and bean counters look at the issue, it’s easy to vote for efficiencies and there’s also a very subjective belief that the parent brand is better.However, given the complexities and challenges of this dynamic marketplace, HP could be making a mistake not re-energizing the Palm brand and putting some new meaning behind it.

Posted by Ed Cotton