Intel's new push for Ultrabooks will be the company's largest campaign since the big Intel Centrino campaign of 2003, the company said on Wednesday.
Starting this week, consumers will be bombarded with television commercials, online experiences and print ads that Intel is hailing as "cinematic and epic." The multi-faceted global campaign will be called "A New Era of Computing" and aimed to market the Ultrabook form factor experience as a new "exciting and innovative" way to work and play.
"'A New Era of Computing' is going to be very different from what you’ve seen from Intel in a long time," said Kevin Sellers, vice president, Sales and Marketing Group and director, Advertising and Digital Marketing. "This is not a campaign where we’re talking about the microprocessor or Intel the company. Instead, we’re giving a cinematic and epic feel to how Intel-inspired Ultrabook systems are ushering in a new era of computing and making everything else seem like ancient history."
The initial spots will set out to make your desktop look like a dried up tombstone, set in the American Old West, ancient China and medieval times. The Ultrabook will shine like fresh alien technology delivered straight from the heavens while sweeping aside the old-school solutions we use today. The spots were directed by Daniel Kleinman, a British TV commercial and music video director who also helmed the title sequence for several James Bond movies.
"Desperado" will debut on April 6 after a world premiere through paid promotion on Twitter. "House of Flying Laptops" will highlight Ultrabooks’ extended battery life while nodding to stylish martial arts films like "House of Flying Daggers" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The third commercial, "Round Table," will be set inside a medieval European castle and underscore Ultrabooks' small form factor and high performance.
Each ad ends with a metaphoric twist as the original ancient setting transforms to a modern-day one," Intel said. A voiceover at the end says, "Suddenly, everything else seems old-fashioned. Ultrabook. Inspired by Intel."
The three commercials will be staggered through May in the United States and abroad. However the campaign will allow consumers to interact with the spots online starting mid-April. "We’re expanding the stories of the commercials, making them more personalized, fun and sharable," Sellers said. "Nothing like this has been done on such an epic scale. We shot scenes for the interactive experience as we were making the commercials in Spain and China to ensure that what you see on TV and online will be beautifully interwoven."
Print ads that debut on April 23 in initial markets will suggest how futuristic the Ultrabook is, the company said.
