Dell’s new personable “More You” ad campaign has overall produced modest consumer perception changes so far, but it has really clicked with adults 18 – 34. The demographic group’s perception of Dell has overtaken rivals HP and Apple’s Mac with adults 18 - 34, according to YouGov BrandIndex data.
The ads aim to position Dell as a lifestyle brand by targeting Generation Y. Each is named after the specific young person they focus on, such as “Derek” or “Sarah”. Opening with a narrator intoning the advantages of the Dell computers, the ads present a swiveling Dell laptop, which rotates to reveal the young person on the screen of the computer, as if video-chatting. The young person begins to speak in praise of the laptop, with the narrator (a deep-voiced older man) saying their words. The ads then close with the laptop rotating again to focus in on the back of the computer, the iconic Dell logo rewritten as the name of the young person in the ad.
For adults 18 – 34, Dell’s buzz score doubled its 11.9 score from the July 8th campaign debut to 24.5 on July 25th. For all adults 18+, the increase was a much more modest 15.5 to 19.1. The Dell campaign’s success with 18 - 34 was mirrored by Apple’s Mac, which introduced its new Lion operating system at the same time, increasing from 18.5 on July 12th to its present score of 22. Dell’s closest PC rival, HP, has a current buzz score of 15.1 compared to Dell’s 24.5 score in the 18 – 34 demo.
While Dell showed marked improvement in other YouGov BrandIndex scores such as quality and value in the demo, the computer maker’s general impression score has been eroding steadily since the campaign began ("Do you have a general positive feeling about the brand?").
Dell, Apple’s Mac, HP and Acer were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
Image Source: Press Association
