In an effort to reinforce its positioning as a no-nonsense direct seller of computer systems, Dell Computer Corporation has launched its first global branding campaign.

The campaign, which includes print and tv advertising, is an attempt by the company to position its direct business approach as more than merely a selling channel, says Julie Anne Smedley, director of marketing, major accounts, for North York, Ont.-based Dell Canada.

The target audience, she says, is future corporate clients. Dell has built its business on the direct model, which enables customers to have computer systems created to their specifications. Until now, the company has kept advertising to a minimum, placing product-focused ads in trade magazines and on radio. The new campaign takes a different tack by outlining the benefits of Dell’s direct model to a mass audience, according to Smedley.

The campaign was created by the Round Rock, Tex.-based computer company’s u.s. agency, J. Walter Thompson in Chicago.

The print component of the campaign features several messages, all under the umbrella theme of ‘Be Direct’, such as ‘Be Accountable’, ‘Be Engaged’, and ‘Be Efficient’.

A tv spot, booked on conventional networks and specialty channels, shows a mouse setting fire to a maze-like computer circuit board in order to fashion a direct route to some cheese in the middle.

The new branding campaign, which began mid-June, will not replace local radio advertising developed by Toronto agency Sharpe Blackmore. Those spots feature a robot-like ‘computer’ voice outlining a few of the company’s systems and prices. Smedley says the company plans to continue this campaign, which targets the home and small business computer user.