Dell, Goldberg Tally Response To PC Ads

SAN FRANCISCO – Dell Computer Corp. and its agency Goldberg Moser O’Neill here have transformed the PC maker’s bank of toll-free phone numbers into a tool to evaluate advertising effectiveness.
The Austin, Texas-based direct marketer, which handles about 25,000 support and sales calls a day, has more than 500 toll-free numbers. Each time the company runs an ad, it lists a different 800 number. That way, Dell can gauge responses to any ad in any publication.
Ads that discuss Dell’s customer service draw some of the biggest responses, said Mike Massaro, who heads up the account at GMO.