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People want more than products; they want experiences and human connection. To test the power of experiential retail, we created an activation with HP and Harvey Norman to influence real customer behaviour through discovery, emotion and meaningful moments.

THE MISSION WAS CLEAR

  • Understand whether experiential retail drives meaningful engagement with the One HP story.
  • Test how the HP × Ferrari partnership performs in a real store and customers’ response.
  • See if immersion could shift behaviour, leading to deeper exploration of HP’s products.
  • Identify who engaged, how deeply, and why, revealing segments worth scaling
  • Generate clear insight to guide HP’s future approach to experiential retail.

WHAT WE DID

FINDING THE RIGHT PLACE AND TIME

To understand the impact of a performance-led moment, we needed a store where customers naturally stop, explore, and engage. Harvey Norman offered that.

Right place:

Strategically placed at one of the entrances where footfall is heavy, shopper energy is fresh and curiosity is high.

Right time:

  • Back-to-school momentum drove strong weekend footfall.
  • Ferrari partnership at peak attention made customers naturally receptive to racing-themed activation.

TURNING SPACE INTO SPECTACLE

For 10 days, we transformed an empty area of the store entrance into a live racing moment; a fully immersive experience that captured attention instantly, with:

  • Balloon arches and signage: signalling energy from the moment customers arrived.
  • Racing simulator: The adrenaline anchor that pulled customers in.
  • HP experience zone: Hands-on PC and accessory.
  • Live digital walls: High-impact visuals that drew eyes from afar.
  • A4 stands & pop-ups: Clear prompts and touch points that increased awareness and conversation.
  • Plinths & POS: Strategic visibility in high-traffic zones.
  • Halloween-themed day: Seasonal energy boosting footfall and store buzz.

MOMENTS THAT PULLED CUSTOMERS IN

 

The fastest lap challenge

  • Competition that powered engagement – Instant momentum as customers raced, re-raced, and tracked personal bests.
  • Rivalry that drove repeat participation – Competitiveness drove customers to return, naturally extending dwell time.
  • Winner moments that drew a crowd – Crowds gathered for lap reveals, amplifying buzz across the store. Fastest lap: 1:29.08.

(Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap time around Silverstone in a Ferrari was 1:26.892)

 

 

Prize draws built store buzz

  • Raffle moments built anticipation across the day and brought customers back – customers had the chance to win premium HP-themed prizes.
  • Sign-ups, quick conversations, and crowd moments drew people in.
  • The one with the fastest lap of the day was crowned the daily champion, giving them bragging rights, plus an Omen laptop to take home – the winner reveals lifted atmosphere and sparked shared excitement.

WHY IT WORKED

Curiosity: Ferrari visuals stopped people instantly, kids pulled adults closer as heads turned and there was a strong male uptake with balanced female interest. Social sharers further expanded reach.

Excitement: Queues built around the simulator; laughter and cheering filled the zone.

Immersion: Once seated, customers focused completely, reacting as if on the real track.

Discovery: After the simulator, they moved to the pit wall, exploring stats and asking questions. Gamers and creators explored deepest.

Pride: Personal victories transformed quick demos into meaningful moments.

Connection: Families and friends filmed and cheered each other, and bystanders joined in – creating genuine community moments.

 

This activation pulled in and resonated with the customers HP needed most — younger, tech-savvy shoppers, families, gamers, and performance-driven buyers.

Every emotion and shared moment converted into measurable engagement across the activation — powered by real behaviour, not promotion.

The results

4,500+

meaningful interaction

2,500

pit wall demos

1,500

tech interaction

1,300+

spin to win entries

15%

winner conversion

198

instant prizes

10

HP Omen laptops awarded

18-44

year olds delivered the highest engagement

Activation ROI & Impact

The experience didn’t only shift behaviour. It translated directly into sales performance. Early signals show strong PC uplift and wider catchment growth, with momentum carrying beyond the activation period.

1 — 3

PC sales +73%

2 — 3

Category growth +48%

3 — 3

Catchment uplift +17%

"The experiential approach encouraged customers to linger, engage more deeply, and ask insightful questions, fostering genuine brand connections whilst bringing the brand partnership with Scuderia Ferrari x HP to life.”

Helen Wells, HP Trade Marketing Manager, UK&I

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