• Statesman.com, Friday, January 25, 2008 11:01 AM

Dell will air its first Super Bowl commercial this year, and the Texas-based computer maker will use the time to plug its altruistic side. Pushing a line of special-edition personal computers, the company is looking to raise money for AIDS treatment programs in Africa. The spot, set for the last commercial pod in the first quarter, features of crimson-red computers and a printer that Dell is now offering today in conjunction with Microsoft Corp.

All sales of the special-edition products will help benefit a charity co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono to fight AIDS among women and children in Africa. "The Super Bowl has a massive reach, but it's not just an American reach," says David Clifton, Dell's director of global marketing communications. "It's a global platform, and it's a platform where people actually stop, look and listen."

He declines to say how much Dell paid, but some estimates put the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl at $2.7 million. But "it's our first Super Bowl ad, so we want to make sure it plays during the Super Bowl first, not on YouTube."

Read the whole story at Statesman.com »