Sink Your Teeth into HP’s Hilarious Instant Ink Spots

Running out of ink can be a pain in the neck. Luckily, HP has created the remedy to the many challenges of printing at home. Instant Ink — a subscription that automatically delivers ink to your door before you run out. To spread the word, HP is enlisting modern day spokes-vampires, portrayed by Beth Dover (Orange is the New Black) and Tom Musgraves (Fargo). The immortal couple has seen many human innovations over the centuries, but Instant ink changes their whole world. 

“Over the last year, we’ve seen a resurgence in print. People have fallen back in love with their printers,” said Deepak Masand, global head of marketing, HP Imaging, Printing and Solutions. “Instant Ink creates an entirely new printing experience saving customers up to 50% in ink costs and ensuring they never have to worry about running out of ink. This campaign uses the power of story to educate customers about Instant Ink in a funny, engaging way – with characters you want to see again and again.” 

In fact, in Q2 2021 HP consumer print revenue grew more than 70%. Instant Ink subscriptions have doubled over the past two years and are approaching 10M globally as consumers embrace the offering. 

They Print at Night is a campaign created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners consisting of a series of commercials directed by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney. 

“It’s easy to see yourself and your spouse in Vicky and Rus and that’s where we found the most comedy. These vampires are just like us, but immortal,” said Rob McElhenney, director. “We love using the fact that vampires can’t leave their house during the day to highlight how annoying it is to run out of ink.” 

Each spot showcases a different way Instant Ink helps solve printing problems. One story shows how running out of ink is especially hazardous for people who can’t be exposed to sunlight, while another speaks to “saving an arm and a leg on ink.”

“The idea wasn’t to write TV commercials, but rather approach these more like an episodic sitcom. We want people to ask ‘when’s season 2 coming?!’ That’s why Rob was the perfect guy for the job,” said Laura Petruccelli, ECD, GS&P.