Intel: Passion + Processor = Wonderful

Chip manufacturer Intel has launched a new campaign that positions the brand as one that facilitates an imaginative and surprising future. The campaign aims to reach out to consumers who don't own a PC with Intel inside it yet.

Chip manufacturer Intel has rolled out a new campaign that urges consumers to do something amazing, using their PC with Intel inside it. The brand's new tagline is 'Go Do Something Wonderful'.

The objective of the campaign is to highlight the world of opportunities that opens up with technology and to convey the message that great things can be achieved with the help of an Intel processor-based PC.

Weiden+Kennedy (Amsterdam) has created this campaign. The TVC was shot across India in August this year. It was filmed at various locations including a local chawl and an abandoned mill in Mumbai, the old beach roads of and a gopuram (the tower of a temple) in Chennai, and a modern glass-and-granite office tower and a tailor's shop in the backstreets of Colaba. The scene with puppets was shot in an actual puppet workshop with the help of local puppeteers.

The film tries to capture the nervous feeling one experiences right before getting started on a novel task. The idea is to show how technology can aid this frightening yet exciting leap into the unknown.

The communication is part of a global campaign that has been crafted for multiple markets. India is the first country to see the roll out of the same. Plans to release the ad in other countries are underway.

Currently, two versions of the same ad are on air; Hindi � Chalo Karein Kuch Khaas � and English - Go Do Something Wonderful. The voiceover in the latter says towards the end of the film, "When personal passion meets an Intel processor, Wonderful happens". At the moment, 60, 30 and 20 second versions of the spot are on air. The ad will be aired in seven languages across channels.

Interestingly, the tagline 'Go Do Something Wonderful' is inspired by the words of Robert Noyce, co-founder, Intel and co-inventor, Intel integrated circuits: "Don't be encumbered by history. Go off and do something wonderful".

Insight inside

Consumer research on part of the brand team threw up a few insights that helped shape the campaign. It was found that there prevails amongst today's youth a sense of tension between opportunity and the ability to achieve. It was also found that while a PC enables the youth to connect and enjoy, youngsters today don't see PCs as life-changing.

Sandeep Aurora, director, marketing and market development, Intel South Asia, tells afaqs!, "Further, we found that while there is a strong sense of community with the youth in India, there is an even greater, growing sentiment towards individualism. Through this campaign we aim to showcase the PC as the ultimate tool of creativity and self expression."

The campaign celebrates a mindset that everything is possible � big or small. The consumer insight that inspired the creative idea was that the journey of reaching a destination is as important as achieving the destination itself. "Today's youth are optimistic about the future but there is an underlying anxiety about tomorrow. Things around them are changing so fast. They know there are opportunities out there, but don't always know how to grab them," Aurora explains, stressing on the importance of focusing not just on the goal but also on the work that goes into achieving it.

The communication targets today's optimistic pool of youngsters and non-PC owners in emerging markets who subscribe to the notion that technology opens up a world of opportunities.

Over the years, Intel's campaigns have moved from positioning the brand as a chip manufacturer to one that makes technology relevant to people. The previous brand campaign 'Sponsors of Tomorrow' (conceptualised a few years back by San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners) attempted to capture the sentiment that the biggest strength of the brand will always be that which is yet to come. Rife with a sense of realism and drama, the current campaign serves to distance Intel from its classic 'behind the scenes' image that has been perpetuated by its famous 'Intel Inside' catchphrase, and take it a step closer to the consumer.

The TV campaign is supported by print and digital. The brand is leveraging social media through its 'Intel Ambassadors of Wonderful' initiative where consumers will be invited to share inspiring stories of their experience with technology.

A print campaign (large format ads) will start appearing across seven languages in a few weeks. Several on-ground activities to demonstrate the ethos of the brand's new statement (Go Do Something Wonderful) are on the cards. Consumer touch-points include colleges, IT hubs and iCafes.

Wonderful insight?

The campaign has garnered a fair share of appreciation for its core thought. Also, while the creative execution is being praised by some, others point out that it has a slightly 'glossy' and international feel to it that may alienate certain sections of the Indian population.

According to Vivek Bhambhani, regional creative director, Leo Burnett, the ad is beautifully shot and well-crafted. "The insight is correct for its young target audience; those who use a computer to do a lot. Today's youngsters who were born in the 'Internet era' are different. They are far more evolved and creative, and this ad brings that passion and in-built creative gene alive," he says.

Sambit Mohanty, executive creative director, McCann Erickson, is of a different opinion. "This TVC bears the hallmark of being a W&K creation - a medley of engaging visuals, voiceover rich with emotion and words loaded with meaning. Yet, I can't help but feel I've seen it all before in a different avatar, that is, the 'technology enabling people to go beyond the ordinary and seek something rewarding' bit. Maybe the 'exoticness' of this ad will work for a predominantly Western audience but for me, it just doesn't connect," he critiques.