HP's Using Youtube and Improvised Comedy to Sell Printers

HP’s getting a little creative it seems. They’re hosting a two hour live improvised comedy show on Youtube to sell printers. The show is called HP ePrint Live and is hosted by comedian Rob Riggle. Improvisers from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (started by comedian Amy Poehler among others, exists in both New York and LA) will be asked to perform in this two hour show. The show will be streamed live on Youtube as well as HP’s HP for Home Facebook page.

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Like most improv, the players will get their skit ideas from the audience via suggestions, be it a single word, photos, drawings or poems. People with suggestions can send in their idea to ideas@hpeprintlive.com and anyone whose suggestion gets used, a link of the skit that was inspired by that suggestion will be emailed to them. 

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The show will premiere on the 21st of January at 3 pm ET (which means 1:30 am here) and HP will ’takeover’ Youtube’s homepage that day.  The next five days (January 22nd till the 26th) will also be used for more comedy shorts based on suggestions that come in. The skits will be released as shorts and will be viewable even after their respective premieres. 

What it comes down to is whether this stunt will work to sell printers. The Upright Citizens Brigade is certainly a big name in improvised comedy and is filled with talented performers but will they be able to sell printers, without actually annoying you by selling printers? We’ll just have to wait and see!