http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...4/tv_nm/dell_1
Is 'Dell dude' Steven done for?
Mon Oct 14, 6:43 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dude, are you getting a pink slip?
Dell Computer Corp.'s sales of personal computers have soared since the advent of the fictional pitchman "Steven," known for his catchphrase, "Dude, you're getting a Dell!"
But perhaps fearful of a backlash against the ubiquitous Steven, who playfully harangues friends and strangers into buying a Dell PC, the company said on Monday it is moving on to a new, less dude-centric advertising campaign.
"We're trying to look at some alternatives," said Dell spokesman Bob Kaufman, who said the company is currently airing ads that feature a group of eager interns. "We test ran some of the interns spots during the summer and got some positive reactions."
Kaufman declined to say if the "Steven" campaign was merely on hiatus, or gone for good.
In two years, Steven, played by 21-year-old New York University acting student Ben Curtis, has become a cult advertising figure not seen since the likes of Joe Izuzu and Clara Peller of Wendy's "Where's the beef?" fame. Inundated by calls from adoring fans, Dell set up a Web site (
http://www.dell4me.com/dude) and even offered a line of "Dell Dude" apparel.
The campaign was originally created in 2000 by Dell's then-ad agency Lowe, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc. . When Dell switched to Omnicom Group's DDB agency in April, 2001, Steven went along for the ride.
If Steven is on the way out, nobody seems to have told "DellDudeSteven", an automated chat program set up by Dell to run on America Online's Instant Messenger.
When asked on Monday, "Dude, I heard you're getting fired!" the program responded, "I haven't."
Reuters/Variety
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