The secret of success in Intel brand marketing

Intel is a well-known brand. Intel is ranked 7th in 32.015 billion U.S. dollars for the latest release of the Top 100 global brand value rankings by Interbrand, an international renowned brand consultancy.

An invisible computer-built business-to-business product that has been made into a consumer brand, and also a household name, has had to be amazed. According to the common sense, the computer manufacturer is its customer, Intel does not need to be in the publicity, faces the consumer to yell, only needs to serve the good customer. But why does Intel have to make such a big shift, like McDonald's, Coca-Cola and other consumer goods in the big brand spread, what is driving it to the consumer brand road forward?

In fact, this process of change is not a far-sighted, the first insight into the wise decision made after the changes in the environment is precisely the outside world to make Intel.

Interestingly, in the history of Intel, there is a lot to be denied, including the name Intel.

Once a forum, an expert explained Intel's name, said that the name is good, Intel to come from the English word "wisdom" (FDI), let a person think of intelligent, High-tech Enterprises, this shows that the founding leaders with far-sighted sense of vision and lofty aspirations.

Is that really true?

In fact, this is the conclusion that people conclude their assumptions afterwards. The brand, which was founded in 1968, was originally named "Moore-Noyce Electronics", a combination of Intel founder Noyce Robert Noyce and Moore (Gordon Moore). But when they went to the trade and Industry Bureau to register, they found that the name had been first registered by a chain hotel, in addition to the English Moore Noyce Sound and more noise (noisy) very similar, so they have to change the company name to "Intel", is an abbreviation formed from a two-word integrated circuit (integrated electronics). So, this simple and rich scientific and technological connotation of the name was born!

Early Intel, as a manufacturer of computer parts (motherboard, System, software, and chips), has always been a prerequisite for technological innovation, and brand marketing is a later frustration.

Innovation is strong, marketing has not yet awakened

In the 30 years since its inception, Intel has been a weak concern that few consumers will care about Intel in buying a computer. Like many business-to-business brands, it is dedicated to creating the best technology to meet the customer's basic requirements and thinking that as long as I can continue to innovate in technology, customers will choose my products. But the response of the market is another sound, and innovation is far from enough.

In April 1989, technical assistant Dennis Li Hu Carter that Intel's microprocessor 386 could not replace 286, because the end consumer would not want 386 of the powerful computing power, and Carter believed that it was necessary to persuade 386 microprocessors to be the products that end consumers needed. The proposal was strongly supported by President Grove. After that, Carter in the Denver newspaper advertising board will be 286 bold calligraphy on the red "X", the newspaper next page that appears 386 and cite text to illustrate its advantages, the advertisement was subsequently published in the United States newspaper, and led to 386 sales.

Intel small test, from the ads feel a glimmer of light, marketing has achieved initial results. Seemingly X86 use advertising marketing to pull the market strategy can be further advanced. Intel's abacus is very good, based on the promotion of technology, I continue to update, with X86 to lead the development of the market, customers will continue to use my products.

This is a good idea, and if it goes well, Intel will master the power to continue to consolidate the supremacy of key computer components.

However, Intel suffers from two big puzzles.

1 Strong downstream unwilling controlled

As early as 1986 when the British Dyer launched 386 microprocessors, the blue giant IBM is not willing to adopt, and the entire PC industry in addition to Compaq, almost unwilling to adopt, computer manufacturers are more willing to stay in the 286 era. This made the British Dyer feel the crisis of development. Relying on their own technology upgrades to drive downstream upgrading, quite difficult. As we mentioned earlier in 89, Intel used advertising to face consumers, creating a pull, but this tension is not strong enough to really drive manufacturers to follow their own pace of replacement.

2. The concept of numbers is not protected by law

Advertising strengthens the concept of X86, education popularization work plays a certain role. Soon, however, Intel is encountering new problems. X86 products that are digitally identified are not only used by customers, but also by competitors using Intel's painstakingly constructed X86 concept.

Because "digitally named brands are not protected by trademark law", Intel rivals have named their products 286, 386 so that they can steal the market without a hitch. For a time, X86 became the industry standard concept and did not belong exclusively to Intel.

A brain is coming. In the face of a strong downstream of the X86, not protected and for the competition to do wedding clothing, Intel knows that the light of technical innovation is unsustainable, enterprises need to seek marketing breakthroughs and changes.

Visible, Intel is also forced out of the sage, the reason for marketing innovation is also a last resort.

Marketing exerting force, escorting for innovation

As a result, Intel began to move forward, directly to the end consumer of the brand, from the original focus on the number of processors to emphasize Intel's brand name, in order to achieve the consumer's intellectual market occupation. At the same time, the user (end consumer) is expected to drive the brand awareness of downstream manufacturers to form a pull to form a curve to save the nation, reverse control downstream, free from the shackles of the road.

But a pure technology company, like McDonald's and Coca-Cola, is linked to consumers through mass media, and a product that consumers cannot see, touch, or focus on, a ludicrous idea at the time. Remember, it was 1991, the popularity of computers was nowhere near today, and most consumers didn't even know what microprocessors were-the real key to driving a computer. After all, people just want to use computers, not very interested in the structure inside.

So, both within the company, industry experts and the media are skeptical about it.

While a lot of people are not bullish, Intel's marketing path is imperative from the two big puzzles we mentioned earlier.

Fortunately, there is nothing new under the sun, any business today encountered obstacles or confusion has been encountered by predecessors, and successfully resolved, enterprises need to do is not their own research, their own trial and error, intelligent Way is to learn from the winners. Intel actively seeks teachers from the marketplace to learn and take advantage of proven practices. After some research, they think cooperative marketing is a good choice.

At that time, there are several business cooperation marketing to do is the wind born cloud. For example, the United States Dolby (Dolby) audio system can not be purchased separately, but installed in other devices, is a typical business-to-business products. Customers mainly have large entertainment venues, such as cinemas, theater, and Sony, Microsoft and other electronic or software giants. Dolby provides these customers with Dolby Systems, and Dube digital to achieve Dolby effects in DVD, gaming consoles, personal televisions and digital TV sets for sound applications. So that video game enthusiasts in the selection of game consoles will ask, this console is not using Dolby's sound system? Does this game machine have Dolby sound system?

If the answer is no answer, players twist the face to go, so that the brand loyalty based on consumer awareness is undoubtedly the downstream formation of Dolby pull.

In addition, Dolby also through their cooperation in cinemas and other entertainment places to advertise. Can be in the right place and opportunity to let consumers intuitively feel the Dolby sound system brought by the enjoyment of vocal music and high quality brought about by the joy. In this way, Du is directly and explicitly in the consumer's mind to erect a high quality experience of a brand image. Its advertising language "science and technology interpretation of entertainment" instant popular. It is a great revelation to Intel that advertising is done within partners and affects customers from contact points.

Other Teflon (Teflon) Non-stick materials are purchased with a frying pan and are included in a variety of soft drinks, and so on.

Using the above examples, the British Dyer concludes that its success will depend on two factors:

1 Cooperation Marketing: With the personal computer manufacturers to grant them the right to use the Intel trademarks, by their marketing channels, direct Intel to the terminal;

2 Consumer branding: Create a strong brand in the minds of consumers to form a cognitive protection of intel, while forming a "brand to make manufacturers" control.

So Intel set up a partnership fund. Take a portion of the sales revenue as an advertising fund. As long as PC manufacturers adopt Intel's trademarks, Intel will share the advertising costs of computer manufacturers. As a result, many PC manufacturers have been humbled by advertising subsidies. At the end of 1991, 300 companies took part in the marketing plan.

Since then, for several consecutive years we have seen, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, Acer computer packaging on the "Intel Inside". This slogan is also played in the advertisement. Intel soon became one of the most exposed brands.

The original CPU as a computer component, has been only to face computer companies, and computer companies have to face users.

Intel, through the Federated Computer Company, connects computer components directly to the user and displays the brand's "quality, reliability, and technical leadership" as a sign of "Intel Inside". As a result, through long-term brand building, Intel is increasingly strong, and gradually controlled the control between the manufacturers, at this time the technology upgrade will soon set off a PC update revolution.

With a branded partition, Intel's processors are also protected. After all, there is no better barrier than a brand.

Brand strengthening, technology-driven brand system

As a technology brand, in order to maintain a leading position in the market, you need to remain technologically advanced, Intel knows that as long as the new chip can continue to launch, and the speed of the chip is always ahead of competitors, while there are other new technologies, can consolidate its brand position.

But technology requires a means of expression, the best means is the brand. It can be said that Intel is a technology giant, but also a brand giant, its technical image to establish a huge brand value. For consumers, there is no need to understand the complexities of Intel's chips, but the idea that Intel will think of the latest technology chips to generate enough trust is a manifestation of Intel's brand value.

Intel has been able to achieve such a great success, because it has achieved technological progress and brand upgrading to keep pace with the brand vivid technical capabilities to enhance the brand's core value technology.

Intel previously demonstrated its technological upgrading through digital imagery. From 286 to 386 to 486. Based on the lesson that X86 is not protected by law, Intel named the second-generation processor "Pentium" to seek trademark protection, Pentium to represent "586", one of the words, the number is not, I have a nickname, to the Chinese Pentium is translated as "Pentium", Advertising words " Give the computer a Pentium core, pun.

From a cognitive point of view, the name Pentium is very good, and it took more than 10 of years, and when mentioned it would associate speed. Because in the early days, the speed of the computer is the most valued by consumers. Especially in the 98 before the main purchase of the computer is the basic technical personnel, including university professors, and students, engineers, when the speed of operation is the most concerned. This direct association of brand values helps Intel gain market impact with minimal cognitive costs.

But with the progress of hardware and software, speed has been generally promoted, the use of computers by the technical staff gradually spread to the family and personal areas, computers from the computing era to the network era, speed is no longer the only focus of consumer attention. Since speed is less important, and the Pentium equals speed, instead of changing entrenched consumer perceptions, it is better to reshape a brand, so Intel decides to switch to a brand "core". Core brand value in addition to the pursuit of speed as always, but also stressed that it can also delay battery life, because we generally use laptops, battery life is very important, but also stressed that its intelligence, can support a variety of multi-functional computer use, not only calculation speed.

In addition to Pentium, the Intel processor name is also Celeron, Core, Centrino, Itanium, Xeon, and so on, each brand has a different user base and demand, based on the ability of brand combination formation, consumer brand influence gradually consolidate, the control of manufacturers increasingly strong, Intel is for many years to maintain the top ten in the Global brand value list.

If the success of the Intel brand is simply summed up, in addition to the world's leading technology and research and development capabilities, collaborative marketing and consumer branding are key to Intel's success.

The management guru Peter Drucker once said that businesses have only two functions, marketing and innovation. Obviously Intel has two functions to play vividly. But from the evolution of Intel's marketing innovations, not as some experts read, "Intel has the foresight to be able to take the lead in the consumer brand," they only see the results of Intel today, no transition background to understand the status of Intel. Do not understand these, enterprises always want to imitate the behavior or action of benchmarking, and ignore the applicability of the environment and conditions.

In fact, Intel gives us the biggest revelation is that when you encounter any problems, do not passively deal with the problem, remember that the problem is the beginning of innovation. There are obstacles, encounter suffering, as long as positive thinking and transformation, to find the successful method has been proved by practice, with small innovation to apply to their own enterprises, perhaps, the next stop.

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