Dell wished to take the first step forward into a commercial relationship with the most reluctant target audience in all its history. Dell had contacted the IT managers of these businesses several times before but they never showed any interest. The purpose of this brief was to shock them and get them to accept – once and for all – an interview with one of our salespeople.

We decided to focus on the Direct Business Model, Dell’s key differentiating factor. This system allows us to have a deep knowledge of our customers and to anticipate to their needs. We created a communication to be sent exclusively on sunny mornings where it would rain in the afternoon. Managers would get a holder with the following legend: ‘We knew it would rain today’. Inside it, they would find an umbrella and a letter explaining to them that just like we anticipated the rain and their need for an umbrella, we would anticipate everything they would need in terms of technology.

Resorting to ingenuity and breaking the cast of the traditional communication patterns IT companies usually have, people reacted to the campaign remarkably well.

28% of respondents, who had never before actually responded to any of Dell’s actions, requested to have a meeting with a Dell salesperson.