New Computer Associates ad campaign highlights innovative FlexSelect licensing model

Computer Associates International, Inc (CA) has launched a global advertising campaign highlighting the company`s uniquely flexible, customer-centric licensing model, aptly named FlexSelect.

FlexSelect enables customers to spend their limited IT dollars where they are needed most - even as their needs change in unanticipated ways. By giving customers this unprecedented level of control over software purchases, CA is helping ensure their technology investments stay closely aligned with their business needs.

"With FlexSelect, CA has clearly demonstrated a bold vision about what it really means to be focused on the customer," said Nancy Bhagat, CA senior vice-president of marketing. "This branding campaign will let the world know that, if you want to get maximum business value out of every software dollar you spend, CA is the best partner for you."

CA is the only enterprise software company to offer month-to-month and metric based licensing, along with traditional term-based licences.

The global television advertising campaign for FlexSelect was created by Young & Rubicam. It is the third in a series of advertisements highlighting CA`s focus on key business issues. In the commercial, CA introduces the tag-line "Our software sold your way" to capture the essence of the FlexSelect licensing model.

The 30-second commercial features a customer in a typical sales meeting talking to a cardboard figure, which represents the typical unresponsive software salesperson. The commercial makes the point that the responsiveness and flexibility that CA offers is a key differentiator in an industry often characterised by rigid, inefficient licensing schemes.

"The appeal of the new CA commercial lies in the fact that the viewer can personally relate to the experience of doing business with a vendor that doesn`t listen," said Robert Grammatica, Senior Partner at Y&R Advertising/NY. "The Mr Cardboard figure provides a simple, funny way of capturing that common experience and positioning CA as a refreshing alternative."

CA`s US TV media strategy for the new spot includes strong play on high-profile prime time programmes including Law & Order, Third Watch and BoomTown, as well as key sporting events and top-tier cable networks including ESPN, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, The History Channel, The Golf Channel and TechTV.

Internationally, the spot will air on CNN Asia, CNN Europe, BBC World, CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, Star Sports Asia, Fox Latin America, Discovery Latin America, A&E Latin America and Eurosport.

The TV campaign will be supported with a print campaign. Print advertisements will appear in leading newspapers and business and technology publications in 40 countries, including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, BusinessWeek and Fortune. The campaign also includes online advertisements, airport billboards and in-flight videos.