August 6, 2008
“playfulness”
Funny how Dell is so heavily tied into the GAMING industry, yet as a company it could use a much greater sense of “PLAY”. “Playfulness” etc.
Just had this thought over on Twitter. Thought I’d share it over here as well…
[UPDATE:] Frank Pendergrast made the following comment:
If Iron Man had used an Apple, I bet you’d have known, it would have been all over the blogosphere… but the fact that IronMan used Dell servers just seemed to produce a minor level of outrage that he’d use something so uncool — and as for the fact he seemed to be using an XPS M2010? Nobody even noticed.
A symptom of the brand image Dell have?
I dunno, Frank. What’s the ROI on coolness? 
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That’s all very well Hugh but it won’t deflect from the BIG issues the company has to face. Fix those first and then get creative. Otherwise it’s more lipstick on this particular pig.
I think “creativity” [or lack of it] is a also a BIG issue with companies, Denn.
@Hugh — sure but right now some of that is mis-directed and, I’d argue, misleading. I’m sure you’ve seen the blog posts on this so say no more from me on that one. The biggest issue the company faces right now is one of credibility. It’s very unclear whether the company can be fiscally trusted.
It’s an inside out issue — as you’ve previously noted elsewhere.
What’s the ROI on PLAY? The DELL culture I know is all about measurements. Not sure playfulness is measurable enough for DELL to play it up.
I can certainly see your point, however at the same time ‘nobody ever got fired for buying a dell’ probably holds true because of the somewhat serious if leaden texture of their brand. I know it’s still the case in Irish businesses I’m aware of anyway.
— so there’s definitely room to improve somewhat/someway in the whole cool/fun/play aspects.
On the other hand I have a Dell XPS M2010 and it’s very cool, and yet nobody has heard of it, despite the fact that *even* Apple users are wowed by it when they see it
I’m with Dennis. Reminding folks that Dell is in Austin,TX won’t bring warm thoughts only reminders of their Wild West-cowboy approach to reporting “earnings”. Go back to basics. Make sure investors, employees, vendors, and customers trust you first.
Marketing isn’t the problem or the solution here. Anyone who thinks so is sucking up too much of the local hooch.
I think Dell makes some great boxes. I just wish they made some pretty boxes. The XPS420 and XPS730 machines make great Media Center boxes but they don’t pass muster with the better half. If I were single I would drop it in the living room no problem, but the wife wants a pretty machine without all the flashing lights and chrome.
Denn, when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail
Dell isn’t so much into gaming as it is into buying out AlienWare before they become a real threat to Dell’s high end line of PC’s — where the most margin is.
I don’t agree with the other comments that imply Dell won’t listen or views of dell won’t change unless you have all the financial numbers worked out. Good solid product with a good sense of fun will breed the right attitudes at the company.
I have to admit I know nothing about the internal workings of Dell but I do love their laptops! I had a momentary leaning towards Apple but stuck with Dell and got a pink M1330 instead and I love it. I recommend Dell to all my friends as I’ve never had a problem with one
If IronMan had used an Apple, I bet you’d have known, it would have been all over the blogosphere… but the fact that IronMan used Dell servers just seemed to produce a minor level of outrage that he’d use something so uncool — and as for the fact he seemed to be using an XPS M2010? Nobody even noticed.
A symptom of the brand image Dell have?
(I’m back on Mac laptops for past few years, Linux on server. But if I had to buy a Windows desktop, I’d probably buy a Dell.)
I agree Play is important. It might be more important internally now, vs as an external message. Because clearly the internal culture is severely broken, based on fraudulent earnings and consumer abuse.
http://webseitz.fluxent.com/wiki/PlayEthic
Dell needs to start getting different and stop wasting time trying to get better. Austin could and should be a wonderful point of difference. They have buried the lede (thus far).
You are right on, Hugh. I am wanting one of the Red or Pink Dell laptops myself, btw.
The other reason that Dell in Iron Man made no waves? They’re everywhere already. Seeing a Dell logo in a movie is just the same as seeing nothing at all because we see them all the time. I’m at work right now, and had to make a conscious effort to recognize that I can now see three Dell logos.
It is true that there was a very pretty Dell on Iron Man’s desk, but everyone knew that it had some weird movie OS, so it wasn’t any kind of Dell you could actually buy, even if it was in the same box.
Seems to me everybody is talking about playfulness this year — that doesn’t mean it’s not supremely important, but I fear it may not be as differentiating as might be hoped.
Then what’s the ROI on blockbuster movie product placement if noone even notices?
cheers,
– Dirk
Does “cool” really matter? I’d rather prefer longevity to coolness… cool will go when the next cool thing comes up
other words that come to mind: surprise & delight. what if you powered up your new laptop and found a welcome message/video from dell? instead of the same old activation this/register that. i’m a big fan of small things that add to a better user experience.
playfulness can manifest itself in many ways.
@Hugh — hammers and nails: that’s a very short sighted view. Marketing should be supporting the company across multiple dimensions and while it is always attractive to go for the cool stuff, business life is a bit different. (And a bit boring, but as we both know, pays the bills.)
I have NO problem with your ‘marketing to sales’ ideas — the more the merrier. BUT — if you really want to help Dell then deal with the fundamentals and be creative there. Which is about an internal attitude change across the departmental silos. But you know that.
I said on a blog post that data centers I know love that Dell can provision within 24 hours while others have to have a committee meeting. In the current ‘cloud’ world, that is serious value. Find a way of making that ‘play’ and you’re on a roll.
In the meantime — hard assed numbers guys like myself and Francine will continue to ream Dell’s ass until it deals with the fundamentals of what we see. That’s the disconnect that a smart marketer like you should be considering — IMO.
What would you rather be, a robot or a monkey?
Robot = slave (to system, to wage, to brand, to thought, to religion, etc)
Monkey = be an ass, jump about, have some fun, who cares what others think!
I’ve noticed Dells pop up a lot, I think I’ve seen them on CSI.
However, the absolute coolest superhero laptop is the Panasonic Toughbook — very cinematic IMO. The Toughbook has a differentiating idea (it’s tough, it works in the rain, etc). Dell does not (they’re cheap, as in cheap-skate?).
ROI on coolness? Wow, that’s a big number, imo. Not if it’s pre-fab, fake, trumped-up, buzz marketing coolness, but real coolness? Big number.
Core brand values.
They’re like natural resources.
You can ignore them.
You can pollute them.
But why?
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Dell made billions selling the corporate box for less. the one you “had to use” at work. not the one you wanted. the grey soviet issue computer. not a lot of playfulness in that. dell has a dna problem.
I just purchased my second Dell Laptop. I did because of the service — believe it or not. I didn’t mind paying for the top of the line service because they will fix the machine the next day. I’ve had a Dell for five and a half years, and have never been disappointed with the service. And I had to have service about every six months. I was hard on the machine.
My son also purchased a Dell laptop. He did so after comparing it to a MAC. He felt that for his purposes in audio recording and engineering, the Dell was much better.
The only way playfulness translates to a higher ROI is for play to be focused on a higher level of creativity in providing the customer the products and services they want.