Merchandise Spotlight-Computer Catalogs (1,078 words)

The Exception: Dell

What you see on page 36 are the covers of two Dell catalogs. The four-color effort with the picture of the desktop set at left and the laptop at lower right was mailed into the business arena. The one with the pretty lady in the home setting was sent to the home.

Note the immediate differences: The one sent to the office is cold, full of techie terms and full prices are featured in huge type. Contrast this with the warm, fuzzy, homey cover where the computer is so user-friendly that it blends into the domestic tableau, and prices are given in terms of monthly payments, an arrow out of the Fingerhut quiver.