Dell
Brand awareness, Business development, Experiential / Engagement, Media

• Use the extreme conditions of the Clipper Race to demonstrate the extraordinary capabilities of Dell Rugged’s PC product range, showcasing its capabilities in the harshest conditions on the planet.
• To drive awareness of the Latitude Rugged portfolio and showcase the range to partners, customers and press through a series of activations and events.
• Utilise Race Crew as Dell ambassadors, supplying reviews and content which provides engaging narrative whilst highlighting the durability and capabilities of the Latitude Rugged range.

• Dell ambassador Race Crew Samantha Harper and Marek Omilian provided regular content in the form of blogs, videos and images from the boats. Dell used the blogs across their customer insights channels, helping to tell the story of how the on board Rugged devices survive in the toughest environment and extreme conditions, whilst also being an engaging journey for followers.
• New business leads were generated for Dell as a direct result of the Derry-Londonderry event. These included new business with Costa Crociere Spa, ECA Services and the UK Ministry of Defence who showed keen interest in some of the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] maritime solutions.
• Wide spread pick up from industry press following Dell’s global yacht tours and sail days included features in ComputerWorld, Windows Central, CBINEWS.com and Sail-World.
• In New York Clipper Race CEO William Ward joined Craig Brandt, Marketing Director at Dell, for a number of interviews in which the partnership and the critical role Dell Rugged plays throughout the race’s operations were central to discussions. Coverage included features with Techstation and PC Mag, the video of the PC Mag interview was posted on their YouTube page (link here).
• Clipper Race Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was a guest speaker on the Dell Technologies Luminaires podcast where he spoke about the Clipper Race, how sailing technology has changed and how it plays a vital role in the Clipper Race race today, including the positive effect that the inclusion of Dell Rugged technology has had on reliable communications and operational cost saving. The podcast regularly receives approx 15k downloads per episode.
• Over the course of the Clipper 2017-18 Race representatives from the Clipper Race attended several Dell press and customer events, offering the opportunity for Dell customers and members of the media to learn about the partnership, and how the Dell Rugged products perform on-board faced with such extreme environments.

South Africa

• The Dell Latitude Rugged team in South Africa hosted an engaging press event to showcase the portfolio and demonstrate its capabilities to partners.
• During the event, press had the opportunity to learn about the products, hear from Clipper Race Crew Dell ambassadors who shared their experiences of using Dell Latitude Rugged products on board, and listened to Clipper Race Chairman and Founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston speak about the operational benefits of using the Dell products, and how technology has evolved throughout the history of the race.
• After the event, Dell took the opportunity to showcase the products on-board one of the twelve Clipper 70 racing yachts. Attendees had the opportunity to climb on-board to learn about life and usage of the Dell Latitude Rugged laptops from the Race Crew and Skipper.

Qingdao

• Dell leveraged its partnership during the stopover in Qingdao to drive awareness of the Latitude Rugged portfolio to its Asian market.
• The Dell Latitude Rugged team in China demonstrated the capabilities of the range by submerging a Dell Rugged laptop inside a water tank showcasing that it was still fully functional afterwards.
• Dell Rugged Clipper Race Crew Ambassadors Samantha Harper [Dare To Lead] and Marek Omilian [Visit Seattle], shared their experiences of using Dell Latitude Rugged products on board during the racing. Press also heard from Clipper Race Chairman and Founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who spoke about the benefits of the products and how changes in technology over the past twenty years have affected race operations and experience.

New York

• Dell utilised the Clipper Race stopover in New York, USA, to promote its Dell Rugged products to industry leaders and trade journalists through a series of events, sail days and talks.
• The Clipper Race fleet in Manhattan, New York, provided a unique backdrop for a Dell product showcase event where the team boldly demonstrated the extreme capabilities of the Rugged range by freezing a Rugged laptop inside a yacht shaped ice sculpture, successfully proving it would still work in such conditions.
• After a welcome address from Damon Munzy, Corporate Communications for Dell, Craig Brandt, Dell Rugged Product Marketing Director, used the Clipper Race to speak about the Rugged range and its proven resilience in extreme conditions.
• Then, before taking Dell’s guests for a private yacht tour, Qingdao Skipper Chris Kobusch and the Clipper Race Crew Dell ambassadors took part in a Q and A session to share their individual experiences of using the Dell Rugged equipment on board.

Derry-Londonderry

• Dell Rugged took the opportunity to hold a customer and partner event during the stopover in Derry-Londonderry where the latest Dell Rugged/OEM, featuring IoT Technology specific to the Marine industry, were showcased to guests from across the EMEA including representatives from Costa Crociere, Safehaven Marine and the UK Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy.
• The two-day event included talks from Clipper Race Co-Founder and Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Trevor Austin from the UK’s Ministry of Defence and Dan Eden from Dell EMC. The talks were followed by a private yacht tour on-board a Clipper 70, which gave guests an opportunity to explore the yachts ahead of their sailing experience the following day. It also gave guests the chance to see the extreme capabilities of the Dell Rugged range first-hand as the products were demonstrated and put through a series of endurance tests.