Davao — HP City
by Blogie • 19 August 2008
Davao City’s bid to become a leading ICT hub in the Philippines got a boost last week when Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corp. launched a corporate marketing strategy called “HP City”. This program is HP Philippines’ way of contributing to the growth of the technology sectors in Davao City.
“Apart from being one of our most important markets,” said Bernadette Nacario, Country General Manager of HP Philippines’ Personal Systems Group, “Davao will always be a significant market for HP here in the Philippines.”
A visible sign of our being an HP City is this technology company’s sponsorship of the upcoming Kadayawan sa Dabaw festival. Already we are seeing banners and streamers bearing the familiar HP logo all over the city. According to Bebi Reyes-Guzman, Marketing Communications, there will also be taxi cabs that will sport the HP emblem.
HP is one of the world’s leading providers of personal computers (desktops and laptops), servers, and imaging equipment. This global company has also been noted for their entry into the mobile market, especially with their iPaq line and the HP Mini-Note PC.
During the press conference hosted by HP’s team led by Nacario, an HP desktop computer and laptop were turned over to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, ostensibly as a sign of more goodies to come. Nacario expressed an interest in the city’s unique 911 emergency response service, and has indicated that, as an HP City, Davao will be the recipient of more significant computer donations from HP Philippines.
Duterte, as he is wont to do in such situations, apprised the HP executives of the state of affairs in Davao City, especially on the peace and order situation. It was icing on the cake, however, since Nacario and her team are already apparently convinced of the potentials of Davao and her fast-growing IT industry.
To further their commitment to the city, HP Philippines is set to expand their presence in the city. Aside from strengthening ties with local channels, and beefing up their service center, the company is now on the lookout for a territory representative for Davao and Cebu.
“Building Davao as an HP City is our own way of helping the city grow and be recognized as one of the IT centers not only in the Philippines but in Asia,” Nacario said. “We see a great potential for Davao to become a major cyber city in the region. By bringing the widest IT portfolio available today to Davao City, we are already helping it anticipate and address all its needs as a major IT hub.”
Nacario estimates that HP’s market penetration stands at around 5% in Davao, with bulk of the remainder belonging to the “white box” suppliers. She was referring to the largely inexpensive computer ‘brands’ emerging and proliferating out of Taiwan.
HP’s strengths lie in what the brand stands for: quality assurance, excellent after-sales service and systems scalability. According to Grace San Juan, VSDB Lead of HP’s Personal Systems Group, her company believes that Dabawenyos are now beyond mere price consciousness. Precisely why they have decided to bring their marketing and promotions to the Philippine South: to create more awareness of the worth of HP’s technology products and services.
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