Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW's Passion for Customer Service Inspires New Branding Campaign VERNON HILLS, Ill. - May 15, 2003 - CDW (Nasdaq: CDWC) is launching a new integrated branding campaign highlighting its core differentiator, a better technology buying experience. DWP//Bates Technology developed the campaign with CDW, a leading provider of technology products and services to businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. The campaign includes advertisements in television, print and radio, as well as outdoor and interactive ads. The nationwide campaign features dedicated CDW coworkers doing their utmost to serve customers. It reflects recent research revealing the experience offered by CDW is a main reason customers buy from the company. "You can't advertise customer passion unless you live it every day," said Don Gordon, vice president of advertising, CDW. "In past campaigns, we have broken through to our audience using humor. In this year's campaign we use humor once again to deliver a serious message - customers should expect a better buying experience from their technology provider and that's what they will get from CDW." Television and print advertising uses humor and exaggerated circumstances to show CDW coworkers going the extra mile to make customers happy. The ads include a man studying quantum mechanics to create wormholes for even faster shipment; an account manager so obsessed with technology product manuals that she reads them to her daughter at bedtime; and a coworker training his fingers on a miniature obstacle course so he can configure systems faster. The campaign evolves CDW's award-winning "Empathy" campaign, which began in 2001. Named Integrated Campaign of the Year by Advertising Age's sister publication, BtoB Magazine, last year's campaign was also the only EFFIE winner in the computer hardware category and recently received a Silver ICON Award for excellence from Adweek's Technology Marketing magazine. The new campaign builds upon the relationship CDW has with its customers, and also highlights what makes the CDW experience uniquely better. "Previous campaigns solidified the idea that CDW understands I.T. people and will be there for them," said Ridge White, president of DWP//Bates Technology. "The new campaign takes that idea a step further, conveying how CDW coworkers are dedicated to their customers." The broadcast ads, which break May 19, will run on network sports and targeted cable programming on networks such as CNN, Sci-Fi and Comedy Central. Print ads, launching this month, will run in business and I.T. publications including The Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE and PC World. Opt-in email, banner ads and e-newsletters will round out the integrated program. Elements of the campaign can be seen at CDW.com/TV beginning the week of May 19. About CDW CDW® (Nasdaq: CDWC), ranked No. 381 on the Fortune 500, is a leading provider of technology solutions for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions nationwide. CDW is a principal source of technology products and services including top name brands such as Cisco, Computer Associates, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba. CDW distributes contracts to end users for customized and standardized on-site services supplied directly by providers such as HP Services and Unisys and for training programs provided by firms such as KnowledgeNetvand Productivity Point International. CDW was founded in 1984 as a home-based business and today employs 3,000 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales of more than $4.2 billion in 2002. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers; purchasing by telephone, fax, the company's award-winning www.cdw.com Web site or customized CDW@work™ extranets; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; flexible financing solutions; and pre- and post-sales technical support, with more than 100 factory-trained and A+ certified technicians on staff.