Lenovo’s top-secret viral leak

Position: Managing Director

Company: Convertium

"Would you be interested in a laptop that activates a protective shield when you spill coffee over its keyboard? How about if the same laptop is able to project a moving holographic image of its user? No wait -- it gets better.  What if you were to drop that laptop and it gently floats down on its own anti-gravity thrusters?

"All these amazing secrets are now out in the open! It seems Lenovo, the Chinese PC-maker, has been conducting super-secret research into making its laptops invincible.  And the Chinese government actually has a secret base on the dark side of the moon. But that's another story.

"Love it or hate it, the ‘Lenovo Tapes' videos have been circulating like the latest Pamela clips (ok, not as hot). They are part of Lenovo's attempt to create buzz for its brand of PCs and laptops, after its purchase of IBM's laptop business. The objective of the campaign, which targets the Western markets, is to position Lenovo as an innovative and exciting brand, worthy of IBM's Thinkpad heritage.

"Without spending a dime on paid advertising, the ‘Lenovo Tapes' have been circulated either as video clips or as email messages ‘exposing' the secret research.  All viral communication leads back to http://www.lenovotape.com/, a crude-looking website designed to be look like a conspiracy hobbyist's pet project. Of course, once you get into the details, you would realise you have been sucked into quite an amusing viral marketing campaign. (The videos are named after Luke Skywalker, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, for good reasons.)

"The key elements of wit, surprise and pass-along value will ensure the ‘Lenovo Tapes' will survive for a long time in cyberspace. The online videos are worth the repeat viewing just for the effort put into making the fantasy seem real.  If only reality were so cool."