This year we’ll be talking a lot about mobile, and personally I’m excited about all of the innovative advertising solutions we’ll deliver for our clients via the mobile channel over the course of the next 12 months. In anticipation, I took a look back on some previous campaigns we’ve driven that effectively integrated mobile platforms and Intel – ‘The Chase’ – stands out to me as a fantastic example.
Intel wanted to launch a digital campaign that would increase its brand awareness and promote the incredible power of its new Core i5 processors. We can't see these processors, since they are embedded in our PCs, but they are in fact the backbone of these remarkable machines that we use everyday. The question was: how could Intel make these processors, which seem unfamiliar or even boring, come to life and really convey to the average consumer the possibilities they create? How do you build excitement around something that's, well, invisible?
The solution: immersing the consumer in an action-packed chase across PC programmes. A heroine outwitting two thugs trailing her through YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft Office, all the while demonstrating the amazing things Intel's processor lets us do on our computers. The two-minute video was a big hit and was named an ‘Ad Worth Spreading’ by TED that you can watch here.
Following on the success of the video, Intel partnered with Microsoft Advertising to take elements of its creative and continue ‘The Chase’ on a global scale across Microsoft platforms--spanning mobile, web and Xbox Live, and covering the UK, Germany, France, Russia, Poland and Turkey. To make this phase of the campaign a truly engaging experience, we kicked off with a 24 hour bespoke HPTO across MSN sites, created 1-on-1 games on Windows Live Messenger, and offered Intel theme packs for Xbox Live Spotlight users. And importantly, we extended ‘The Chase’ experience to handheld devices with the use of expandable rich media.
The campaign was a great success for Intel. Research conducted by Dynamic Logic across the UK, Germany and Russia showed uplifts in the campaign association for the brand across all markets, with the highest spike seen in Russia. The campaign also boosted Intel Core i5 processor awareness, particularly amongst the Windows Live Messenger audience, which saw a 21 per cent increase. We were able to help Intel, a giant company that makes products people don't necessarily touch or see, bring its brand story to life.
By creating a branded experience with rich, interactive content across multiple markets and screens, we really demonstrated what Microsoft Advertising's unique offering is all about. In a way, today's consumer is like our heroine jumping effortlessly from screen to screen--our task as digital advertisers is to engage them holistically and tell a good story in the process.
David Pugh-Jones, brand strategist, Microsoft Advertising