Jay-Z HP TV spot to debut during NBA Finals

By M&C News Jun 8, 2006, 21:46 GMT

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter will be featured in a 60-second TV ad tonight during the NBA Finals as part of HP’s “The Computer is Personal Again” marketing campaign. The spot is scheduled to make its global debut during the June 8 game on ABC (9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT), and will focus on the multiple facets of Jay-Z’s professional and personal life that are enhanced by computer technology.

These aspects include mixing music and discovering new talent as a record company president and chief executive officer, sharing vacation photos, reviewing the design of new arena plans for Brooklyn, N.Y., planning the itinerary for an upcoming world tour, and reviewing his retirement portfolio.

Jay-Z first became interested in HP computers after seeing the impact they have on students involved in the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund – which was created in 2003 and is spearheaded by Jay-Z’s mother, Gloria Carter. The fund’s goal is to provide disadvantaged youth, non-traditional high school graduates, GED recipients, and those who have been formerly incarcerated an opportunity to fulfill their desire to attend college.

HP is investing several hundred million dollars in this first-ever global marketing campaign for its Personal Systems Group. Launched in the United States on May 9, the TV and web elements of the campaign feature celebrities, noteworthy business people and other recognizable figures revealing how their PCs are personal to them through the content they keep on their systems.

In addition to Jay-Z, U.S. Olympic gold medalist and professional snowboarder Shaun White has participated in the campaign.