CAA hired to upgrade Dell

Talent agency to revamp image of computer co.

By MARC GRASER

Dell Computers is tired of its image as a business computer brand and has enlisted Creative Artists Agency to help the company identify entertainment opportunities to make it more appealing to consumers.

CAA's marketing team will shepherd Dell's entertainment efforts the way it does for such clients as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, Sprint, Mattel and eBay.

Company, the nation's second-largest computer maker, is looking for content to help sell its new colorful lineup of desktops, laptops and future handheld devices by putting something on those screens at a time when more consumers are turning to their digital devices to watch movies, TV shows and Web series, according to Michael Tatelman, Dell VP of global consumer sales and marketing.

Idea is to use CAA to "make connections with entertainment influencers and expand our story around personalization," a spokesman said. "Our goal is to connect with people and, through music, art and film, support the goal of personal self-expression."

That could involve everything from helping the company create original programming to identifying events to sponsor.

It's already backed Sundance, the Telluride Film Festival and Summer Rocks, a series of music festivals that includes Lollapalooza.

It will also include pairing artists with the computer maker for other initiatives the company has recently launched, such as a digital storefront it's building that will try to compete with Apple's iTunes Store, as well as the Dell Lounge, an online destination that showcases up-and-coming musicians and filmmakers.

Dell recently inked a pact with Paramount to pre-load its computers with "Iron Man" to make its products stand out from rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Apple, for example.