Compaq creates new marketing director role

Compaq UK has appointed its first marketing services director – a senior role – in preparation for a more aggressive marketing strategy.

William Knocker, previously marketing services manager at the company, has been promoted to the new post.

He joined Compaq four years ago, moving into marketing from a career in the Royal Navy.

Compaq says it felt an overall board director for marketing was required following recent sales growth. Prior to this, its three units – corporate systems, commercial, and consumer and retail systems – had handled most of their marketing independently.

Although the US-based company was formed in 1982, it has only moved into the consumer market in the last four years. It will launch eight new desktop multimedia PCs, to add to its Presario range, next month.

Compaq pitches its machines at the top end of the market and is currently in the middle of a press advertising campaign in which it claims cheaper computers actually cost more than Compaq’s models because of hidden maintenance and service charges.

Knocker says of his new post: “My role will be to continue to manage the growth of our consumer machines. And we will see how we can bring the Internet into our marketing mix.”

He added that further campaigns were being planned through its agency Bates Dorland for the last quarter of the year.

James McCoy, an analyst for market research group Mintel, says that Compaq has done very well in the small office, home office (SOHO) market in recent years.

He put its position at number three in terms of volume sales, behind IBM and Apple.

“There are only a few percentage points between these three, so these rankings could easily change if one company begins to increase sales by only a small degree,” adds McCoy.