HP reboots Christian Slater’s Wolf in fresh focus on cyber security at home

The Wolf is back and he’s got an eye on all the PCs people are now using as they work from home. These unprotected machines, which often do double duty as gaming devices or school classrooms, are ripe for data breaches and other security threats. Four years ago, HP introduced the Wolf as a hacker character played by Christian Slater, fresh from his Mr. Robot fame. Now, Slater is reprising his role to debut HP Wolf Security, a new brand platform that encompasses the company’s security offerings for printers, PCs and IT departments. “It’s not only about having the network and big servers protected,” says Cristina Bondolowski, global head of marketing, personal systems business at HP, who says she is seeing an increasing number of cyber attacks happening. “Now, more that ever, we’re all working from home and therefore we are more exposed to these threats than ever. When you’re in an office, you have firewalls that protect you, but when you’re out of the office, the threat is much bigger.” The new push will include a nearly five-minute video starring Slater as a hacker infiltrating a mother’s work computer at home while her oblivious son plays video games on the same device. The initial hack spirals to include printers, colleagues and even the woman’s office IT department. “Knock, knock! Who’s there—it’s your old friend the Wolf,” says the Wolf in the spot. “A lot has happened since we last spoke. Mom’s home. Dad’s home. Little Russell’s home. And they have no idea that I’ve already invited myself in.” The long-form video will be broken into shorter clips, airing on digital channels and connected TV such as Hulu. HP’s campaign, beginning in the U.S. this week before rolling out to other markets, will also include airport marketing and out-of-home. As part of the brand offering, which is targeting both consumers and businesses, HP also created a new wolf-shaped logo to highlight the security protection. HP worked with production house Anonymous Content on the new push. While many professionals are beginning to return to the office as they receive COVID-19 vaccines, many are embracing a permanent hybrid structure that includes some days at home. For such situations, HP’s offering is even more relevant, Bondolowski says. “Security is a top worry for them,” she says. “The hybrid workforce, which is distributed with some working from home, some from the office, makes a blurred-line situation.” Bondolowski says HP has been tracking the number of threats its customers receive on a daily basis and that the figure is growing “exponentially.” As cyber threats continue, other companies are also exploring ways to combat the issue. Microsoft recently said it would work with cybersecurity company Darktrace on a system that uses artificial intelligence to detect threats.

HP reboots Christian Slater’s Wolf in fresh focus on cyber security at home

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