distinctive creative innovation messaging

Well.

Intel continues to be the prime poster child for how to market and position a product that …. well … is dependent on another product to even have an existence.

Some people would call it branding.

Let’s just call it creating a positive meaningful imprint in people’s minds enough that people care whether they have it or not (despite the fact 99% of the non-nerd population has no clue what it actually does .. but has to have it).

The television stuff they have been doing lately is awesome.

All of it.

Let me begin with the one they call “generations.”  Two guys over decades of time growing up together discussing technology innovations in a way only geeks could (but we get it). c’mon. Whoever wrote “they call it ‘E’ … lectronic mail” isn’t getting paid enough.  It’s awesome. Here is the TV commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSqMTWrlF-8

What makes this brilliant is that they want to tell you how Intel has been at the forefront of technology innovations over time … and the reality is most of us could give a rat’s ass about what you have done in the past only what you do in the future for us (but marketers get sucked into “we need to become more credible in people’ minds so let’s tell them all the good shit we have done in the past” … whatever …).

But you know what?

I cared after this commercial.

Because I laughed.

Because I stepped back a little in time through the eyes of Intel and I appreciated it.

Ok.

And then.

At the exact same time they are running a commercial that has nothing to do with the past but it’s all about young nerds working in the lab and the future.

And it is brilliant also.

Innovations are so inbred into culture they don’t even notice them (so the implication is that they just aren’t that big a deal to Intel …. They just happen because they are supposed to).

This is what they call “Intel media lab” or “hey Walter”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30dnLv5VclI&feature=channel

Awesome.

They just told us they were innovators unimpressed by their own innovations.

Good stuff.

Finally.

An ability to laugh at themselves (but people benefit from the joke).

The challenge (I am guessing simply because I know how business owners think and the crap they make agencies figure out how to solve):

“How do I tell everyone I am smarter than they are and have an incredible attention to detail and am different in a way that makes me think I won’t get screwed buying their product and they aren’t just pounding their chests on how brilliant they are?”

Well. Let’s maybe share a laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0FULHGwPkw&feature=channel

Awesome stuff again.

Even us non-geeks shake our heads and laugh and yet have a twinge of respect.

Ok.

About the only thing I dislike (and this is kind of nitpicky) is how they end all their ads with the infamous Intel sound mnemonic but instead they have people (I assume their employees) singing the little note signoff.

Yeah yeah yeah.

I get that they want everyone to know that Intel isn’t just a ‘chip’ but people.

Let’s call this the infamous “humanizing a technological innovation.”

Well. It’s kind of silly and unnecessary. The chip is king. I know. Its nitpicky. But it seems like one of those things that some client said and thought about and put their foot down and said “show people! … we aren’t just a bunch of robots making stuff up but we are a likeable group of people (albeit nerds).”

Sure.

So end the commercials with people making noises. That will do it.

Regardless.

A lot of business people and advertising people and marketers who take themselves too seriously oughta be checking out Intel. They get it.

And they are doing a whizbang job in my book.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Written by Bruce