When Hitachi briefed us to promote their most obscure and specialist hard drive – the Ultrastar – they were almost apologetic. How do you sell a product so low-volume, specialist and mission-critical that it has rendered the target buyers blind to new suppliers?

First we advised them not to sell by simply showing pictures of a hard drive (as their competitors were doing). Then we set out to spark the audiences’ imagination – attributing the advantages of the hard drive with a personality they could relate to and remember.

We devised an integrated campaign featuring a dalmatian dog. Just like the Ultrastar he had pedigree; was dependable; great at doing tricks; not easily distracted; and more than able to knock the spots off the competition.