HP’s Beautiful Holiday Ad Brings Gen Z Activists’ and Scientists’ Dreams to Life

In a new holiday ad released today, HP highlights four young adults actively working to create a better world—whether that be through activism, climate science, programming or organizing.

The spot opens with its four stars (Jacqueline Azah, Tiana Day, Fionn Ferreira and Kavya Kopparapu) explaining what they envision for the future. “I see a world that leads with love,” said Day, a Bay Area-based Black Lives Matter activist and founder of nonprofit Youth Advocates for Change. “This is our future we’re fighting for.”

Azah, an activist and co-founder of community support nonprofit J&H New Beginnings, spoke to a more peaceful future. Conservationist Ferreira, who created a tool to remove microplastics from the ocean, said he sees a pollution-free world.

“I just see a change in the way that we educate our youth,” said Kopparapu, a computer scientist, patent holder and founder of nonprofit Girls Computing League, which aims to get underrepresented students involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

With HP’s products taking a central yet subtle role throughout the film, the storyline plays out the dreams of each of these young people. In brightly colored, futuristic scenes, the protagonists work to solve climate change and build new education systems as Day and Azah rise to the offices of secretary of state and president of the United States, respectively.

HP said they wanted to use these real “changemakers” rather than influencers because it better represents Gen Z’s values and hopes for the future.

“The Gen Z audience makes decisions about brands that match their values and that connection sits at the center of this campaign,” said Daryl Butler, head of marketing for HP Inc.’s US consumer personal systems, in a statement.

“Our goal is for consumers to have an emotional connection to the idea of hope, to see the optimism and fortitude that this generation holds in spite of the challenges they face,” Butler continued. “We want to show how they can make the world better as they tap into their superpowers—tech skills and creativity—to make a real impact on a better, more open, more inclusive future.”

In addition to being featured in the spot, they also contributed to the set design and storyline of the film. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was the creative agency behind the film, and director Emma Westenberg directed it.

“Conversations with our inspiring protagonists informed the entire creative process, from script all the way to the final track selection,” said GS&P creative director Wes Phelan. “Each vignette is reflective of the different issues this group of young people hope to solve in the near future.”

four people looking at an HP laptop laughing — The ‘Institute of Climate Change’ is a fictional organization that the stars create in the futuristic film.

The ad is targeted toward consumers between the ages of 18 and 34, and HP is aiming to reach 64 million sets of eyes and ears with an ad buy that spans connected TV, social and digital video, audio, native and display. To achieve that reach, the brand is partnering with Amazon Fire TV, Complex, Genius, Hulu, Snapchat, Spotify, TikTok, Vice, WarnerMedia and YouTube TV.

The events of 2020, from the pandemic to a national reckoning related to systemic racism and inequality, will have the greatest impact on younger generations, noted HP Inc.’s global head of marketing for personal systems, Cristina Bondolowski, in a statement.

“For this campaign we asked real changemakers how they envision their future,” Bondolowski added. “The work is a manifestation of this vision, and how our technology enables solutions—whether for a more equitable society, a different way to educate our youth, or a more sustainable planet.”