Dell Picks Shops for Consumer, Business Efforts

Dell has completed its global creative review, selecting agencies on Monday (Feb. 28) to craft ads aimed at consumers and small to medium-size businesses.

Havas’ Arnold in Boston will handle the small-to-medium businesses assignment, while independent Sid Lee in Montreal will work on consumer efforts, a Dell representative said. The hires come a month after Dell tapped independent Barrie D’Rozario Murphy in Minneapolis to lead creative efforts on ads targeting public institutions like schools and governments.

The three assignments represent about $30 million in revenue, according to sources.

The new Dell shops will work alongside WPP Group’s Young & Rubicam, the client’s lead agency for global brand image ads. “These three agencies add to the bench strength that Y&R brings to the table,” the Dell rep said.

Dell declined to discuss other contenders for the latest assignments. Sources, however, previously identified the finalists for the consumer assignment as independent Venables, Bell & Partners in San Francisco, WPP’s Taxi in New York, independent Mother in New York and the incumbent, WPP’s Wunderman in New York. The other contenders for the small and medium business account were Interpublic Group’s Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos in Boston, Omnicom Group’s Martin/Williams in Minneapolis and incumbent Wunderman in New York, according to sources.

Mother previously created consumer ads, and today’s hires appear to end that relationship and take a chunk out of Wunderman’s business with Dell. 

Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., managed the creative review, which began in September.