Constructing an Innovative Message ...

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I’ve always viewed Intel as the gold standard when it comes to communications in the electronics sector.

They know how to translate technology into narratives that land. They know how to leverage owned media to fling warning shots to the chosen few. And they’re always striving to put a face on the company, whether that’s shining the spotlight on Intel employees with tattoos or hiring an anthropologist (Genevieve Bell) to make sure the meaning of life intersects with a microprocessor.

Tattoos on Intel Employees

Going back to the Andy Grove days, this company knows how to communicate with the outside world.

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Intel has come up with another campaign that falls under the “kids, don’t try this home” category.

In this case, Intel co-opts ASML technology — technology that’s used to manufacture chips — for its own thought leadership.

If you click here, you’ll see how Intel uses owned media, its newsroom, to tell an EUV story. You can watch the video that advances the action with the savvy of Jimmy Fallon below.

What makes this particularly noteworthy is Intel has done little in recent years to advance chip manufacturing. In fact, one could make an argument that Intel has actually gone backwards when it comes to tech leadership experiencing all kinds of problems with advanced nodes.

Intel fabs Wall Street Journal article

Yet, Intel’s CEO Pat Gelsinger has gone all in with the creation of Intel Foundry Services. Somehow, some way, Intel Communications needs to start building an innovation story around manufacturing.

So, Intel “adopts” ASML and EUV to build the perception of tech leadership in manufacturing. Very savvy.

Back to the video —

It’s journalistic-like even though it’s a vendor video. Further giving the illusion of “journalism,” when the video discusses the development of EUV technology it not only highlights ASML, but also Intel, TSMC and Samsung. Why mention competitors? Because it shows strength and, yes, leadership that Intel shares the credit. Makes Intel more credible in the eyes of the viewer. Of course, they’re sharing the credit for a technology that they did not invent.

You can also see how they tease out the storytelling. What do “three 747 cargo planes, 40 freight containers and 20 trucks” have to do with tech leadership? They bring a fresh dimension to the story that helps the overarching message go down easier.

Finally, the video ends by saying that Intel is the “first customer in line” for ASML’s next-generation machine to prepare for the angstrom era of computing. It makes it sound like Intel is ASML’s No. 1 customer/priority; hence, Intel will be the first company to get the next-gen EUV machine which will give it a technological advantage over competitors. ASML enjoys considerable buzz these days. Intel jostles (been a while since I’ve used that verb) to get under ASML’s halo.

All in all, the video delivers a compelling story and message that Intel is a tech leader … and again, it’s not even their technology.

It doesn’t end here.

Intel has taken the core content from owned media and turned it into earned media landing a feature story in Protocol.

Protocol article on Intel

As with the video, Intel has developed its pitch to align with how journalists write. Check out the kicker under the Protocol headline that highlights “the technology is theoretically precise enough to hit your thumb with a laser pointer from the moon.” Classic storytelling of showing how the technology is precise, not just telling “hey, it’s precise.”

I suspect we’ll see more earned media on Intel’s EUV play down the road.

Video. Written narratives. Voice/audio. The medium isn’t what’s important here.

The important part is constructing journalistic-like content that slices through the noise with the precision of, right, EUV technology.


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