Who sprinkled the creative fairy dust on Intel?

To be honest, I’d long given up hope that we’d ever speak the words Intel and creative in the same sentence. Intel has a track record of spending serious money on some of the world’s most dubious creative work, which is then processed and tested beyond imagination. After the embarrassing “lap dancing” campaign, the we-can-be-cool-too “multiplicity” campaign and processors singing hi-ho as they leave the factory — I wouldn’t have bet on Intel to be the scene of any creative renaissance. However, I think we have a moral duty to praise those who deserve praising, no matter how grievous their past offenses. There’s a lot to praise in Intel’s current Sponsors of Tomorrow effort. The Rock Star video (see it here) is a great idea that could easily have been made silly in production (and would have been, under a previous regime), but was obviously shepherded by some super-talented people. The concept of Sponsors has the wit and intelligence that a global power deserves. The campaign is much bigger than this video, including another great spot called Oops and an assortment of pieces for print and web. It’s all really well thought out and executed.

Intel’s new work launched back in May, which makes this review a bit tardy. But this blog is only three days old, so you have to be nice to me. The creative is the work of Venables Bell & Partners in SF, and they should be terrifically proud. I know many who have attempted to slay the Intel beast, rarely with more than limited success. Heck, I was one of them. Additional kudos go to those inside Intel who were able to push this work through, as their organization has never been structured to give great creative work more than lip service. One telling sign that something amazing is happening here is what they have done with the famous Intel “Bong” at the end of the Rock Star and Oops spots. From experience, I can tell you that this element is beyond untouchable. Even unspoken thoughts to modify it have in the past been punishable by death. Yet Venables has succeeded in presenting the Bong sung by a chorus of Intel humans on-screen. It feels like we’re witnessing the birth of a whole new Intel. It’s fantastic. There is more stuff on the Intel site beyond the video, and most is nicely written. Of course the website is a bit spotty — the business side remains dreary, some of the messaging is still rooted in the Intel of old, and the Intel product badges remain as mortifying as ever.

Zooming up to the highest level, it’s important to appreciate what work like this does for a company like Intel. For the first time in eons, people will not only understand what Intel does, they will simply think: “I like these guys.” That’s how you build an emotional bond with your customers. And that’s something Intel hasn’t done in ages.