In a clear attempt to update their sometimes-stodgy image among the wi-fi/iPhone/Facebook set, Dell just launched a new “Digital Nomads” site:
Its launch coincides with the rollout of several new Dell computers, though at its heart, Digital Nomads isn’t simply a product microsite.
Instead, it offers visitors a truckload of social network opportunities: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, an online community, and even a crowd-sourced white paper. (Warming the heart of marketing executives everywhere is the realization that most social network channels are free, provided you can fill them with content.)
This interesting bit of messaging came from the initial post on the Digital Nomads blog:
We’re all becoming digital nomads. And nomads want to know how to use
their technology in the most productive way every day. So, we decided
to create a site dedicated to Digital Nomads — a community where you
can network with others, learn and share ideas, and hear from some of
the best who are doing exactly what you do.
Compare that with the message found on the Dell blog:
Lots of folks are out there are connecting to the Internet to work from remote locations—places like coffee shops, conference rooms, airports, etc. Technology is enabling that capability through things like Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, cell phone networks and a host of mobile devices.Those trends are changing the landscape of how work gets done and how people connect with each other. We hope to foster conversations about these trends and the technology and devices that are driving them.
They’re delivering largely the same message, but Digital Nomads does so in a direct, personal, engaging way.
The Dell blog reads like a corporate PR flack trying to sound folksy, and therein lies the value of a site like Digital Nomads.
Given the rapid adoption of microsites among the direct response crowd, it’s not that surprising to see Digital Nomads launched into what is likely Dell’s fastest-growing market segement.
Like any good community, Digital Nomads wants its users to identify themselves:
As I tell my clients, the static home page – packed with corporatespeak – is largely dead (though you still have to pry the monolithic, one-size-fits-all Web site from their fingers).
Is Digital Nomads is one more nail in the coffin? Undergrounders, the floor is yours.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
Hey Tom,
Did you work on this site?
~Graham
No, I didn’t. I’d disclose that information if I had (I’m not a big fan of “stealth” marketing).
I’m interested in engagement marketing, and this seemed like a good example.
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that you were using stealth marketing by any means! I know that a lot of your work is in engagement marketing, so I thought you perhaps worked on this one.
I love the concept (from a marketing perspective) and I love the name “Digital Nomads”. Having the portable badges is a nice touch too.
But the execution seems a little fuzzy to me. Maybe that’s because it is new, and they are still trying to find their way. Things like a Dell computer signed by Michael Dell don’t quite ring true to me, and the diversion to Dell’s forums and IdeaStorm seem to be too much “man behind the curtain” (but then I might be a jaded marketing writer — perhaps others don’t notice these things…)
At the very least, its potential has hooked my interest. I’ll track it for a while and see how it goes…
~Graham
I didn’t feel accused, but I do like to draw a clear line between selling stuff and writing about stuff.
It’s true that Digital Nomads is taking a “throw it all against the wall and see what sticks” approach. I imagine we’ll see a sorting out relatively soon.
Your “man behind the curtain” comment is interesting. If I were in charge of the Digital Nomads site, I might have pushed some of product stuff into the background a bit. Look at the Nike+ site for runners; they’ll sell you shoes if you want, but in truth, they’re happy to watch the community form directly underneath the omnipresent Nike logo.
Time, it seems, will tell.
Thanks for the comments!
Tom: you’re right on all accounts. Our desire is for http://www.digitalnomads.com to be a community where all things nomadic are discussed. As more nomads get involved the site will improve so please be patient with us.
Bruce Eric Anderson
@Tom – Very true about Nike. But then they trade more on brand than Dell does, I think. You can get away with saying “Is it the shoes?” but if you said “Is it the computer?” you’d probably have a riot on your hands!
But I imagine that Digital Nomads is likely a campaign designed in part to elevate the Dell brand which has been a little tarnished of late. It certainly seems to mesh well with their latest TV commercials. (As a matter of fact, I do feel orange today.)
It will be uphill though — I think it is hard to move from the image of inexpensive, mail-order computers into the realm of Hip (there is a reason why Apple has never competed on price…)
This site certainly has an Apple feel to it, and talk about engagement marketing! Not only will it be interactive, but your own customers (and even potential customers) will be providing content.
So, we’ll get to see how engagement marketing used as an image booster unfolds here AND get to see an experiment in the value of free content (perhaps from both the writer and the publisher perspective).
Looking forward to it!
@Bruce – Good luck to you — I’m sure this is the product of many sleepless nights. Must be quite exciting and exhausting!
~Graham
Interesting, but their logo reminds me of the Gnome logo:
Bruce: Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with Digital Nomads. As a copywriter who just pitched and landed an engagement marketing/microsite project, I follow sites like Digital Nomads with some interest.
Now when will I receive the Dell-signed laptop I clearly won for being such a good sport?
Vadim: I noticed that too, but the footprint’s a nice match with the Digital Nomad theme.
I’ve got another Linux post coming soon.
Well, took another look today and even went as far as to sign up as a member. But, sadly, Dell is only accepting digital nomads from within in US borders.
“DO NOT PROCEED IN THIS SITE IF YOU ARE NOT LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES.” (Emphasis theirs, not mine.)
A quick domain check shows that digitalnomads.ca is still available for purchase, which I guess means Canadian nomads (and everyone else in the world for that matter) will be wandering alone for some time to come!
Pity, just when I was buying into the concept!
~Graham
Thank goodness they figured out you were a Canadian before It Was Too Late (The Plaid Menace From the North).
Why not grab DigitalNomads.ca, set up a registration site, and then sell the leads to HP? Just an idea.
Lol – I’ve always been a bit leery of becoming a domain name speculator/squatter. And generating leads for the competition would firmly put me in another realm.
But it did cross my mind to create the Canadian (or better yet, an International) version and sell it to Dell.ca. Not sure how they would react to that though… Besides, who has the time for spec work like that?
~Graham
Graham: OK, but never say we didn’t try to make you rich.
@Graham — Sorry, I was away from this site for awhile and missed all the chatter on what we’re doing.
I apologize if you think http://www.digitalnomads.com is for U.S. citizens only. It is a site that is open to everyone worldwide.
However, the sweepstakes is for U.S. only due to legal requirements. The language you pulled is from the sweepstakes rules page.
If you look at the site today, we just recently uploaded a video from someone who is not an American, Dave Stewart. Pretty cool.
Bruce: Great to have you back, but you forget to let me know when I’m going to receive my Michael Dell-signed laptop.
I’ll just wait here.