Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW Breaks New Ad Campaign'Empathy' Theme Reflects Company's Focus on Helping IT Managers and Buyers 'Empathy' Theme Reflects Company's Focus on Helping IT Managers and Buyers VERNON HILLS, Ill. February 14, 2001 - CDW Computer Centers, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDWC) the country's direct solutions provider of brand name computing products, is unveiling a new advertising campaign, targeting IT managers and buyers -- those busy people who keep computing, telephony and technology systems up and running day and night -- and their senior management, who influence overall technology purchasing and decision-making. The campaign, called "Empathy," reflects CDW's understanding of the technology challenges IT professionals and their managers face daily in small- to medium-sized companies - and CDW's desire and ability to help. The national, multimedia campaign, developed by DWP//Bates Technology, Atlanta, includes network spots breaking this week. The ads will air during major sporting events, along with an extensive run on cable. Print and online advertising complement the television spots. Extending the company's core value of personalized service, the ad campaign is designed to explain that CDW truly understands what it can be like to be an IT professional who handles the technology challenges and needs of others. The television spots and bold red and black print ads capture scenarios of a typical day in the life of an IT manager, taking a humorous look at how company employees explain their IT problems. In each case CDW is able to offer the person under pressure a viable technology solution, including computer products, personalized service and information tools that exceed expectations and help make his or her day a little easier. "CDW understands how challenging it can be to deal with advancing technology needs on one hand and the service issues involved with keeping computing systems up and running 24/7 on the other," Joe Kremer, vice president of marketing, CDW, said. "When the situation arises, CDW will be there. We want our customers to know we empathize with the IT professional and that we're ready to help." CDW's mission is to make a customer's day a little easier. Customers benefit from personalized assistance from their own account manager and an entire support team, who are trained to assess their needs and recommend the best technology solution. CDW offers a wide array of products from leading companies, making it a one-stop source for technology needs. And, at No. 560 on the FORTUNE 1000 and as the winner of the Council of Better Business Bureau's National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, CDW is a company that customers can rely on. Thirty-second television commercials will run in four flights for 21 weeks from February 12 through November 2001 on various cable television networks including: ESPN, The Discovery Channel, CNN Headline News, Bloomberg and others. The print campaign will run with one- and two-page spreads in the national editions of business and technology magazines, including Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, PC Magazine and PC World. They began running in a handful of publications in February issues. Advertising venues also include online banner ads appearing on CNET, USA Today.com and CBS Marketwatch.com, which break the week of February 19. About CDW Computer Centers, Inc. CDW® (Nasdaq: CDWC - news), ranked No. 435 on the FORTUNE 500, offers complete, customized technology solutions for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions nationwide. CDW is a leading source of technology products and services from companies such as Cisco, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Sony, Toshiba and other top name brands. CDW was founded in 1984 as a home-based business and today employs more than 2,700 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales of $3.8 billion in 2000. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with highly trained account managers; purchasing via telephone, the award-winning www.cdw.com Web site, and customized CDW@work(TM) extranets; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; flexible financing solutions; and, telephone and online technical support with its factory-trained and A+ certified technicians. Additional information can be found by visiting http://www.cdw.com.