Dell today launches a global advertising campaign from Wunderman featuring new products that are designed to appeal to different consumer segments.
In a preview of the effort, Dell's Paul-Henri Ferrand last week showed examples of new print ads bearing the theme line, "You can tell it's Dell." Each ad had a headline, a few lines of copy and an image of a product—be it a desktop, laptop or tablet.
"Perfect day for a convertible," said the headline in one ad, which centered on a tablet that opens into a small laptop with a keyboard.
The headline for another ad, featuring a laptop with a JBL sound system, was, "Turn it up to 11."
Ferrand described the new work as "more arresting" with "very crisp copy" and a dash of humor.
Broadly, Dell is moving away from price-focused, transactional ads and toward ads that develop the company's global brand image. More specifically, the new consumer-directed campaign, which also includes TV, Web and outdoor ads, illustrates how Dell's range of products offers something for everyone. Also, the new "You can tell it's Dell theme" is expected to be central to all company advertising going forward—including a long-awaited global image effort from lead creative agency Young & Rubicam.
"We believe there's a real space for us to become the most loved PC company in the industry," said Ferrand, global chief marketing officer for the consumer and small and medium business unit of Dell, during an hour-long presentation at the SoHo Grand Hotel in New York. "[It's a] tall order but this is what the marketing strategy is aiming at."
Ferrand did not disclose spending behind the campaign, but said it was designed to run in local markets around the world. In the U.S alone last year, Dell spent around $135 million in major measured media, according to Nielsen.
The new ads arrive as Dell reviews global creative duties [1] on advertising directed at consumers, small and medium-size businesses and public institutions.
Dell, through search consultancy Select Resources International, has narrowed its focus to about a half-dozen shops for each customer segment, said sources.
Dell executives plan to visit each shop before narrowing each list to four finalists, according to the company's initial request for proposals. The primary incumbents are WPP's Wunderman in New York (ads for consumers, small and medium-size businesses) and Y&R in San Francisco (public institutions).