Dell wanted to communicate with owner/managers of UK small to medium sized businesses with the aim of positioning the company as an authoritative voice in understanding the needs of their target audience, whilst creating an opportunity to deliver key brand messaging, data collection and a route to the market product.In August 2008, we carried out a Tickbox.net survey amongst 750 owner/managers of small UK businesses on behalf of Dell to gain insight into where they go for advice on running their businesses and their thoughts on existing TV business programming.As a result we produced www.smallbusinessadvice.tv on behalf of Dell who partnered with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), in collaboration with Intel.

All live shows and features are developed using the filter of “does this content or conversation have the potential to help small businesses improve?” Topics include: ‘working your way through the current economic climate’, ‘expert advice from Michael Dell on starting a small business’, ‘using social networking for small businesses’.Each show provides a current view to issues affecting UK small businesses today and featured such studio guests as John Dunsmure, MD of BCC; Martha Lane Fox, Entrepreneur; and Ian Campbell OBE, Consulting Editor of International Trade Today. The shows are filmed live in a studio via an interactive chat show, allowing questions from the viewing audience, and pre-recorded on location reports produced by us. Valuable 'how to' videos include tips on how to use social networking tools and protect your data. We achieve editorial coverage on a range of targeted websites by aggregating the shows including AOL, Business Matters, Telegraph, and Tiscali. Shows are also aggregated by Dell to their various social networking channels.

Results for the pilot phase of shows 1-6 have been very successful. The website has had over 19,900 unique user sessions, generating over 107,000 views. Live shows and 'how-to' tips have been viewed and downloaded over 8,200 times with over 130 businesses signing up to the partner database.

Not including the numerous Chamber members and Dell portals, 20 online media owners have taken the aggregated content reaching a total monthly audience of 19,547,075 and ad spend equivalent of £367,066.

Radio interviews featuring John Dunsmure, BCC hit 47 stations reaching over 15.1million listeners, with over 2hrs 30min of coverage and equivalent ad spend of £36,000.Cost-effectiveness •The development of this interactive WebTV channel is a first for UK small businesses as well as Dell, Intel and the BCC, who put their integrity to the test with their members by supporting this initiative.•The initial phase budget was delivered for £81,310