Gateway Case Analysis
The company, originally called Gateway 2000, was founded in 1985 in an Iowa farmhouse by Ted Waitt, the son of a fourth-generation Iowa cattleman. Gateway's
Agency History 1993 to 1998 Until 1993, Gateway 2000 relied solely on print advertising that was produced in house. A few months later the agency introduced a campaign theme saying Gateway goes "From South Dakota to the rescue." An agency executive explained the rationale behind the campaign by noting that "South Dakota is a state of mind,a way of doing business, and dealing with people." However, Gateway andDMB& B got off to a rocky start as both sides grappled with the precise roles ofthe agency and the in-house group and how to collaborate.
The "Beyond the box" strategy was designed to diversify Gateway's offerings to include PC financing,
Internet access, and various other computer-related accessories and services.
McCann Erickson's first campaign for its new client broke in late April and used the tagline "Let's talk about your Gateway." Over the next several years the agency developed a number of other campaigns for Gateway including one targeting consumers using the "Yourware" tagline and another targeting businesses using the
"Gateway@Work" theme.
Some industry observers speculated that Gateway had become increasingly dissatisfied with the level of service it was receiving from McCann since the agency had won the
Microsoft account in 1999.
The new agency began focusing on brand building for
Gateway with ads ranging from humorous spots featuring
Ted Waitt with a talking cow, to stylish product-focused ads promoting a new line of lap top computers.
The ads featuring interplay between Waitt and the loquacious Holstein cow who advised Waitt on offers and deals to entice customers to buy Gateway products were very popular.
Rob Siltanen, the agency's chairman and chief creative officer noted that: "They have a lot of equity with the cow.
It's at the stores. It's on
Agency History 1993 to 1998 Until 1993, Gateway 2000 relied solely on print advertising that was produced in house. A few months later the agency introduced a campaign theme saying Gateway goes "From South Dakota to the rescue." An agency executive explained the rationale behind the campaign by noting that "South Dakota is a state of mind,a way of doing business, and dealing with people." However, Gateway andDMB& B got off to a rocky start as both sides grappled with the precise roles ofthe agency and the in-house group and how to collaborate.
The "Beyond the box" strategy was designed to diversify Gateway's offerings to include PC financing,
Internet access, and various other computer-related accessories and services.
McCann Erickson's first campaign for its new client broke in late April and used the tagline "Let's talk about your Gateway." Over the next several years the agency developed a number of other campaigns for Gateway including one targeting consumers using the "Yourware" tagline and another targeting businesses using the
"Gateway@Work" theme.
Some industry observers speculated that Gateway had become increasingly dissatisfied with the level of service it was receiving from McCann since the agency had won the
Microsoft account in 1999.
The new agency began focusing on brand building for
Gateway with ads ranging from humorous spots featuring
Ted Waitt with a talking cow, to stylish product-focused ads promoting a new line of lap top computers.
The ads featuring interplay between Waitt and the loquacious Holstein cow who advised Waitt on offers and deals to entice customers to buy Gateway products were very popular.
Rob Siltanen, the agency's chairman and chief creative officer noted that: "They have a lot of equity with the cow.
It's at the stores. It's on