This Week in Imaging: HP Markets Printers as “Less Hated” – Good Move or Not?

by Kathleen Wirth · December 22, 2023

It is a truth universally acknowledged that printers (and copiers) can be “difficult,” to say the least. Recently, HP Inc. addressed that with a new printer marketing campaign in Europe that purports to promote it’s printers with the tag “Made to be Less Hated.”

The campaign uses two ads, both geared towards home users. One of the ads shows how “low-ink” warnings aren’t a problem with HP printers, as users can subscribe to HP’s Instant Ink program, under which HP sends new ink before it’s depleted. The other ad shows how installation is easy with HP’s Smart app.

The ads seek to show people that, sure, printers can be difficult, but ours aren’t. And of course, it’s not just HP printers that can be the subject of ire – that office copier/MFP down the hallway with its long history of paper jams, difficult to replace toner, and excessive cost per page, also come in for their fair share of disdain.

Will HP’s ad campaign work? Maybe. But at this point, like it or not, the sad truth is that the printer and copier/MFP has for decades been an irksome piece of office technology.

However, it’s also true that in our own experience, installing HP printers is one of the easiest, if not the easiest out there, so the company is probably right on that point. When it comes to supplies like ink and toner, it depends. Many people still vehemently object to HP discouraging use of third-party ink and toner, which they believe they should be able to use. But, according to HP itself, its subscription base for its Instant Ink program – which provides lower cost, automatic ink deliveries – continues to grow.

At first glance, the “Made to be Less Hated” tag may seem counterintuitive – who wants to associate their product with being hated? – but by acknowledging a near-universal perception about printers and addressing it, HP may be going a long way to put their product in a better light than competitors’ products.

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