This week Intel kick-started its new integrated marketing campaign for Intel-powered PCs. It is common knowledge that marketing IT and technology products, especially operating software, is not always the easiest. When selling to consumers, unlike in B2B, marketing the fact that a PCs internal processor has a turbo of up to 3.6 GHz/3.4 GHz will resonate little with potential customers – perhaps even alienate them.
The key to devising successful marketing campaigns within this industry is to carefully identify your target audience. Once identified, it is important to craft simple messaging around features that hold significance to both your targeted customers and your brand. Intel’s new campaign is a perfect example of IT marketing kept simple and consistent.
Intel’s campaign due to air October 17th features Michael Phelps, 18-time Olympic gold medalist and “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons in a series of video ads. This pairing may seem odd but when looked at closely the partnership makes complete sense and is extremely strategic.
Intel’s Unique Selling Point (USP) has always been its industry-leading processing speeds, and this is a message that has always been laced into its ads - and this campaign is no different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2485557667&feature=iv&src_vid=eksRmNNewls&v=NeUzBbW2QRE
Here you have Michael Phelps, the fastest swimmer possibly on the planet getting advice on how to improve his computer speed by Jim Parsons, who plays an intelligent and iconic know-it-all on the Big-Bang-Theory.
In the ads Parsons seems bewildered by the fact that the Olympic champion owns a slow computer, he jokes that its even a “new world record”. Of course Phelps owning an old, sluggish computer would confuse a lot of us, probably because everything about his brand screams “speed”.
What does Phelp’s and Intel’s brand have in common? Speed.
What about Parsons brand? Intelligence.
It is clear that Intel has carefully crafted its marketing campaign around its brands ever-consistent messaging and core USP. As well as this, the celebrity representatives chosen not only attract multitudes of viewers but also perfectly mirror the Intel brand and what it is trying to sell.
Other examples of similar campaigns would include Virgin Media ads featuring Olympic medalists Usain Bolt and Mo Farah.
What companies within the IT and tech industry can learn from Intel is that creating messaging that resonates with your consumers and matches your brand values, creates consistency and this will lead your marketing to even higher successes.