2010 Silver Effie Winner

“Sponsors of Tomorrow”
Category: Corporate Reputation, Image & Identity
Brand/Client: Intel / Intel Corporation
Primary Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Media Agency: OMD
Contributing Agencies: Tag Worldwide

Strategic Challenge
What do you do when one of the largest technology brands in the world just… disappears? Intel,
a brand that once basked in the limelight, came to us facing a very serious issue: People had
simply stopped caring about them.

This issue of relevance was magnified by the fact that Intel was also searching for an agency to
develop its first global brand campaign. Intel had done some branding work in the past, but had
never before embarked on an effort of this magnitude. For the first time, Intel was looking to
move beyond pushing product to something much, much larger. The brief to us:
"Microprocessors have become a commodity and the Intel brand is no longer a key factor in the
computer purchase. Make the Intel brand relevant to the everyday lives of consumers."

We completely agreed that Intel's problem was relevance. But we were not sold on the idea that
the solution was to make the brand relevant to the "everyday" lives of consumers.

To start, people have an incredibly difficult time understanding what a microprocessor actually
does. Sure, there are some tech wizards in the world (graphic artists, hardcore gamers, etc.)
who can decipher microprocessor jargon, but they were not our target. Our target was the
mainstream computer user—middle-of-the-road technology consumers who use computers
primarily for basics like email and connecting to the Internet. These users might know that Intel
is 'something inside their computers,' but beyond that, our own qualitative research revealed

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 that Intel for them stands for nothing more than a logo and a five-note musical sign-off.

On top of this, Intel is three giant steps removed from the magical experience of computing.
Companies like Google and Amazon can take credit for smooth user interfaces, and the Safaris
and IEs of the world get accolades for the connection itself. HP and Dell take credit for providing
the tangible object behind the computing experience, and ISPs can take credit for Internet
connection speed. So, where is Intel? Intel is hidden deep inside the computer—so deep that
consumers don't know what it looks like, can't touch it, so therefore couldn't really care less
about it. It is no surprise that people don't think about processor brand much at all and, in fact,
rank it below battery life, hard drive and memory size, graphics capabilities, and computer
speed when making a PC purchase (Source: Intel Concept Study, 2008). Mainstream computer
users stopped caring about Intel because Intel had become completely invisible to them.

Objectives

Our primary objective was to make Intel relevant again. To address this objective we needed to:
1. Get Intel talked about, as measured by social media presence.
2. Increase the brand health Motivation score (Intent to Seek Information about Intel) by 15%.
In addition, increase other key brand health metrics including Category Relevance (the
likelihood to consider processor brand when buying a computer) and Intel Brand Relevance
(the likelihood to choose Intel as the processor). Year-end targets were not established for
Relevance measures prior to launch of the “Sponsors of Tomorrow” campaign.

The Big Idea

The intelligence inside Intel is creating the future.

As we started to work through the original brief with the client, it became increasingly clear to
everyone that consumer distance from Intel products is just part of the challenge to get them to
appreciate the role Intel plays in their everyday lives. A more prominent issue is the ‘everyday’
trap. Dozens upon dozens of technology companies, from cell phone providers to computer
manufacturers, are trying to take credit for the everyday magic of technology. It is hard to turn
on the TV without seeing a technology brand talking about bringing something to our everyday
lives, from connecting with friends, to being more efficient, to uniting the whole world. Everyday
is everywhere. This, combined with Intel's lack of physical tangibility, forced us to reevaluate the
situation. Working together with the client, the true brief started to come into crystal clear
focus.

As we learned more about the company, we discovered that Intel is way more than a
microprocessor company... even if nobody knows it. Behind closed doors Intel is an amazingly
progressive company with unmatched R&D and a relentless commitment to technology
innovation. Driven by philosophies like Moore’s Law and ‘all science fiction has the potential to
be science fact,’ Intel always has and always will continue to push society forward. Intel is
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 working on the technologies today that will change our tomorrow for the better. Mind-control,
robotics, wireless power—for Intel, there are no limits to innovation.

And when you tell consumers this, they stop talking about Intel as “just a big chip company”
and start talking about it as a “company focused on the future” or “a place filled with smart
engineers making the smartest products.” Helping consumers understand what Intel really does
lets people form connections with the Intel brand that might have otherwise gone completely
unnoticed (Source: Agency Qualitative Research, Fall 2008).

So, to make Intel relevant we decided to pull back the curtain and let people experience the
tremendous impact that Intel has on the entire technology ecosystem.

Bringing the Idea to Life

From the outset of this launch, we understood that success would not come by simply using our
budget to shout about the smart group of people within Intel. We knew our entire
communications plan needed to live and breathe the innovation and future-focused passion of
the company.
On the surface, this seemed fairly simple—utilize cutting-edge technology in future-thinking
media to resonate with a high-tech audience. Unfortunately, those weren’t the people we
needed to convince.
We had to deliver on this strategy while speaking to a target of “Essentialists” and “Active
Pragmatists” worldwide. Our target was the masses. People who don’t think much about their
computing needs and who aren’t necessarily consuming the kind of media that could bring this
strategy to life.
In order to achieve success, we utilized mass media to find ways to surprise consumers, push
the boundaries of our media partners, and establish the future today. A combination of
broadcast, digital, print, out-of-home, radio and PR was used across 9 countries globally,
delivering dominant positions and innovation.
Broadcast and print generated awareness by delivering the fun, quirky, intelligent and optimistic
sentiment that defines Intel; while digital and OOH provided the innovation needed to break
through our cluttered market. The communications plan brought the idea to life with never-
been-done-before opportunities in many forms:
- Interactive billboards and storefronts linking consumers in New York and 6 other cities
across the globe via real-time SMS texting
- NYT.com takeover reporting the news of the year 2040 to users worldwide
- Times of India front page takeover (the physical newspaper)
- Baidu (China) Home Page media allowing users to “Text for Tomorrow”
- Hulu Spring Finales ownership and CBS HD Gallery technology creation and sponsorship

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 Communications Touch Points

TV Packaging Retail Experience

Spots Product Design POP
Branded Content Cinema Video
Sponsorship Interactive In-Store Merchandizing
Product placement Online Ads Sales Promotion
Radio Web site Retailtainment
Spots Viral video Guerrilla
Merchandising Video skins/bugs Street Teams
Program/content Social Networking Sites Tagging
Print Podcasts Wraps
Trade/Professional Gaming Buzz Marketing
Newspaper - print Mobile Phone Ambient Media
Newspaper - digital Other Sampling/Trial
Magazine - print OOH Consumer Involvement
Magazine – digital Airport WOM
Print partnership Transit Consumer Generated
Direct Billboard Viral
Mail Place Based Other
Email Other
PR Trade Shows
Events Sponsorship

Additional Marketing Components:

None
Pricing Changes
Couponing
Leveraging Distribution
Other

Reach:
National
Multinational
Non-English

Total Media Expenditure:

Under $500 thousand $5 - 10 million
$500 - 999 thousand $10 - 20 million
$1 - 2 million $20 - 40 million
$2 - 5 million $40 million and over

Effie® Awards
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Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

2010: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual
property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to
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 Results
1. Get Intel talked about
Intel’s Sponsors of Tomorrow campaign was met with impressive buzz across the board as
measured by overall buzz volume (number of mentions): The campaign performed on par with
Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” launch and significantly outperformed Microsoft’s “I’m a PC”
launch. This is particularly impressive given that Intel’s launch media spend was less than half
that of Microsoft’s, and less than a third of Pepsi’s:

In addition to buzz volume, the Sponsors of Tomorrow “Rock Star” television ad has been
viewed more than 1,000,000 times on YouTube in just a 4-month period (Source: YouTube).
This is leaps and bounds above views for other Intel historical campaigns (“Blue Man Group,”
“Multiply,” etc.), all of which have had significantly longer lives on YouTube and other video
viewing outlets. In the United Kingdom, “Rock Star” was the third most viewed video on
YouTube in its debut week, just behind Susan Boyle’s famous “Britain’s Got Talent” audition
(Source: YouTube). And most recently, “Rock Star” made a prime-time appearance when
Conan O’Brien interviewed the real “rock star” of the ad, Ajay Bhatt (co-inventor of the USB
port), on “The Tonight Show” (Source: Huffington Post, 10/11/09). To top it off, we even saw
the Intel “Rock Star” idea go viral: Rockstarmyself.com is a venue where people can see what
it’s really like to be an Intel rock star by uploading a picture to land a starring role in a 3D
version of their own “Rock Star” spot (Source: Rockstarmyself.com).
As part of Sponsors of Tomorrow, we also developed outdoor digital billboards that featured
scrolling messages from texting passersby. The first billboard appeared in New York’s Times
Square, but we quickly rolled out to other locations (Miami, Chicago, Berlin, etc.) where
storefront digital signs were linked for a multi-site, international texting experience. And these
text submissions linked up seamlessly with our Sponsors of Tomorrow website, another venue

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Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

2010: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual
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 where people could share their vision of the future and interact with the Sponsors of Tomorrow
world in a unique, engaging way (Source: Intel.com/tomorrow). To date, the “Text for
Tomorrow” effort has yielded over 120,000 submissions in 14 languages from 7 regions
globally. These are particularly impressive numbers for a brand that, to put it frankly, nobody
really thought much about.

(Source:
Unwired Appeal, 2009)
Heavy press is another very clear sign that a global campaign launch is successfully breaking
through at all levels. Coverage of Intel’s Sponsors of Tomorrow campaign reached
unprecedented peaks for Intel, garnering worldwide attention in advertising and marketing
trades, as well as top-tier business, tech and news trades (Source: Nielsen Buzz Metrics, May
2009):
“Intel jokes about its own culture in the new ads…” (Source: Wall Street Journal, May
2009)
“Intel’s biggest brand marketing launch” (Source: inews24, Korea, May 2009)
“I’m excited about these new ‘not your Intel’ ads” (Source: Gizmodo, May 2009)
“…not just a chipmaker” (Source: Werben & Verkaufen, Germany, May 2009)

2. Increase key brand health measures

As a result of Sponsors of Tomorrow,
o Category Relevance increased 9% from 4 weeks prior to SOT launch
o Intel Brand Preference increased 19% from 4 weeks prior to SOT launch
o Intent to Seek Information increased 36% from 4 weeks prior to launch and is already
21% above the year-end target

Effie® Awards
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Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

2010: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual
property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to
reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of
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 Anything else going on that might have helped drive results?
Although this was a branding effort, part of the initial challenge was to develop and execute on
a strategy that was scalable enough to be applied to all areas of the Intel business. As such,
Sponsors of Tomorrow has been successfully applied to PR, events, retail, trade, partner
marketing and even internal communications. Agency partners have been key in the
translation of the idea to other forms, working to maintain the core essence of the idea, but
adjusting specific executions as needed.

Additionally, there was one external factor that posed a significant challenge to reaching our
objectives. Shortly after “Sponsors of Tomorrow” launched, Intel was sued by the European

Effie® Awards
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Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

2010: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual
property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to
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 Union for anti-competitive practices (Source: New York Times, 5/13/09). Extensive media
coverage of this antitrust lawsuit resulted in roughly two weeks of negative PR toward Intel,
making our job of getting Intel talked about in a positive light substantially more difficult,
particularly in Europe.

Effie® Awards
116 E. 27 St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
th

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

2010: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual
property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to
reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of
the Effie Awards.