Dell's New Product Push

Dell is about to launch a new global advertising campaign from Young & Rubicam that features new products that are designed to appeal to different consumer segments.

In a preview of the effort, Dell's Paul-Henri Ferrand today showed examples of new ads bearing the tagline, "You can tell it's a Dell." Each ad had a headline, a few lines of copy and an image of a product -- be it a laptop, tablet or some combination of both.

"Perfect day for a convertible," said the headline of one ad, which focused on a tablet that opens out into a small laptop with a keyboard. The head for another ad, featuring a laptop with a JBL sound system, read: "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 campaign illustrates how Dell's range of products offers something for everyone.

"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, 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.

"You can tell it's a Dell" marks the first significant effort from Y&R since the New York office of the WPP Group shop assumed lead creative duties on Dell in August 2009. Y&R succeeded Enfatico, the shop WPP built from scratch after the holding company won Dell's global marketing services account in December 2007.

The new ads arrive as Dell reviews global creative duties on advertising directed at consumers, small and medium-sized 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-sized businesses) and Y&R in San Francisco (public institutions).