IBM Tries to Shed Button-Down Image

By Joanne Lipman
The Wall Street Journal

June 29, 1989

Who would ever believe it? International Business Machines -- the oh-so-stuffy company that institutionalized the blue suit and white shirt, that turned the Little Tramp and the MASH crew into wholesome pitchmen -- has gone hip.

At least, it's sure trying to be hip. Yesterday, IBM unveiled its $15 million new ad campaign for its personal computer, the PS/2, replacing the much-maligned MASH effort. The new campaign's directors include the inventors of "Max Headroom." Its jazzy, thumping score sounds a lot like rap. Its quick cuts and fancy special effects are reminiscent of MTV.

"They're trying to shed the button-down image," says Bruce Stephen, senior personal computer analyst for International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass. "They need to say they're just as capable of being a part of the fast-paced business marketplace" as smaller, more "hip" competitors like Apple and Compaq.

The new campaign is the first major work to come out of Interpublic Group of Cos.' Lintas agency, which last summer was tapped to split the $120 million IBM account with Wells, Rich, Greene Inc. In April, Wells Rich introduced an umbrella campaign depicting IBM as a problem solver, in an attempt to make Big Blue seem more user-friendly. The latest campaign, which sells personal computers specifically, also focuses on solutions. The new tagline: "How're you going to do it? PS/2 it!"

The new campaign is supposed to show all the ways IBM's PS/2 system can help out average Joe business types, such as by handling 10 tasks at once or by connecting different departments. The print campaign, breaking today in The Wall Street Journal, uses New Yorker-style cartoons to make the point. The TV commercials, which start July 1 during Wimbledon coverage, have a completely different feel -- an angular look with lots of quick cuts, somewhat similar to the surreal Federal Express commercials featuring sparse, futuristic business scenes.

In one TV ad, a manager walks into his office while underlings throw various reports at him; he effortlessly juggles them all while talking on the phone. "You've got to juggle 10 things all at once. And get them done right, done before lunch. How're you gonna do it? Well, you're gonna PS/2 it!" shouts the rather exuberant jingle singer. Another commercial illustrates how IBM can upgrade an old computer system, by showing an older computer that doubles as a fishtank.

The ads also try to convince skeptical potential customers that IBM's Micro Channel really is a good thing, honest. The Micro Channel, the technology distinguishing IBM's personal computers from those of its competitors, has been treated with a fair amount of suspicion because it isn't compatible with other machines, and because some buyers have doubted its supposed benefits. Promises the jingle singer: "You can do things with Micro Channel that other computers just can't handle. You've got an edge in power and speed. You're a forward thinker, yes indeed."

The commercials create "a new voice for IBM . . . playful, confident, can-do -- let's get the job done, and even have time for some fun," says Frank DeVito, president and director of creative services for Lintas's New York office.

Computer dealers and analysts hadn't yet seen the campaign yesterday, but some questioned whether it might be just a tad too cute. The "How're you going to do it?" slogan "sounds kind of like 'Ghostbusters,' " said Alan Hald, chairman of Tempe, Ariz.-based MicroAge Inc., which runs 245 computer stores world-wide. (For those of you too inundated by "Batman" hype to remember the "Ghostbusters" chant, it's "Who you gonna call?")

Still, Mr. Hald said, "the concept of selling solutions, not just computers, is the right message. The only question is the method of communication . . . will it catch people's attention?"

That remains to be seen. But IBM badly needs to win people's attention -- and their dollars. The big computer maker, which once had a lock on the personal computer market, accounted for just 17% of unit sales in 1988, according to International Data's Mr. Stephen. IBM still outsells its closest competitor, Apple Computer, by a wide margin; Apple had a 10% share of unit sales last year. But Mr. Stephen notes that Apple and other competitors have aggressively moved into the workplace, "probably at the expense of IBM."

Business people, Mr. Stephen adds, "view IBM as a safe, reliable buy -- but many don't necessarily view them as the cutting edge." IBM's challenge now is to turn that view around, he says, adding: "It's important for them to continually shine their image. They haven't done a lot of that lately. It's time for them to kick back in."