Intel takes a leap outside

New Intel marketing campaign aims to recapture underdog image, reports Anna Vanderpool

The New Year has seen a flurry of marketing activity from Intel. Famous so long for its Intel Inside and Pentium brands, the company has cast its old logos into the annals of history in favour of a raft of new trademarks. But the changes are far from over. From February, Intel has yet more trademark alterations planned.

‘Our brands will be cycling every few months as part of our new Intel Outsider marketing strategy,’ explained Toby Companyline, Intel’s logo dictatorship manager. ‘We’ve realised for a couple of years now that having well-known brands actually has too positive an effect on our sales, which is really bad for our image.’

Intel’s over-arching slogan will therefore change in February from Intel Leap Ahead to Intel Inch Forward and then Intel Reach Around, primarily because 2007 isn’t actually a leap year. The Pentium 4 will become the Intel Core Slomo. Later in 2007, all individual processor lines will be unified under the brand Intel Somewhere Inside, with Home Alone single-core and Two’s Company dual-core flavours. The Centrino will be upgraded to Dollarino, and then Buckarino. Viiv will be replaced by Jiiv, Striiv, and then Iwillsurviiv. The Celeron will become the Chiiv.

In 2008, Intel intends to entirely rebrand itself Mr Chippy, at which time all its processors will adopt fried fish-related nomenclature, such as Cod and Haddock. The premium seafood Salmon will represent dual-core ranges, with the diminutive Sardine for mobile parts. All processor models will use the number 7 because ‘it’s lucky’.

‘With regular brand changes, we’ll stay way ahead of the competition,’ explained Companyline. ‘They’ll never be able to keep up with our marketing innovation.’