Ex | Discover your potential: Intel's Sandeep Arora

The Personal Computer is a necessity in every home. In India, personal computing device penetration is a mere 10% and a majority of buyers of personal computing devices are what we can call ‘First Time Buyers’. Intel launched an activation aiming out to reach those potential buyers and show them the magic of a personal computing device, thereby driving greater relevance. In today’s multi-device connected world, Intel enables consumers to explore their creativity, enhance their productivity and indulge in a world of digitally powered entertainment.  So a PC is an endless discovery - It’s where you can do amazing stuff.” It’s where you can create, enjoy, express, experience “You” more. It's where you can do the high end stuff, and discover your potential! This activation My Discoveries with Intel by Pulp Strategy Communications won the silver at the WOW Awards, 2013 in the category ‘Integrated Media Campaign of the Year by a Brand’.

Intel is a popularly loved and trusted brand despite the fact that the products cannot be physically seen or touched by the end consumers. For decades, the ‘Intel Inside’ proposition has stood for trust and credibility in the minds of the consumers. In the recent past, Intel made a critical and fundamental shift in its communication focus by talking to consumers directly about what they make ‘possible’. Talking to Adully, Sandeep Arora, Director, Sales and Marketing Group-South Asia, Intel Technology revealed that through this activation, their aim is to build a deeper understanding in the minds of consumers about what technology can do for them. Today we live in a multi-device connected world where attention spans are limited and communication from all brands is limitless.

“We do this through a uniquely personalized experience, enhancing affinity and excitement for the personal computing device as an enabler of amazing possibilities in their everyday lives. We wanted to showcase these possibilities by creating inspiring and compelling experiences which highlighted the relevance of owning a personal computing device in a connect world. We wanted to demonstrate the relevance of a personal computing device in this connected device world scenario, and offer a hands-on delightful and personal experience of an Intel Processor powered personal computing device can thus showcasing what it can  ‘do for me’,” revealed Arora.

The target audience for this campaign is what Intel typically classifies as First Time Buyers and the profile is youth - SEC B+, B,C between 18-34 years of age who don’t own a personal computing device. These are people who can afford a personal computing device but may not have bought one because of various factors. The campaign reached out to a large audience at multiple touch points including campuses, corporate, BPOs, Internet cafes, malls and retail outlets with its unique experience. The engagement extended itself to digital and social enabling audiences to experience the My Discoveries on a virtual platform while sharing their wonderful experiences online. 

Intel indulged in a thorough research before coming up with this activation campaign. It was the research that revealed that one of the main reasons for consumers to not buy a personal computing device immediately is the lack of relevance for it in their minds. That combined with a plethora of devices vying for a consumer’s attention makes the task even more challenging. Arora says, “Today a consumer, especially the youth, is flooded with multiple choices and sources of information including the social networking sites which provide information about any and everything. Young consumers often tend to want the latest phone but think a lot about the personal computing device purchase.”

In the last five years the emergence of social networking platforms and applications that surround the youth is making the personal computing device seem less vibrant and connected with the youth. The reality is that while devices like cameras, smartphones, MP3 players are handy and generate excitement; their potential is limited without a personal computing device. The personal computing device is the central hub to a connected device world. With this insight at the core, the campaign communicates the interplay between the multiple devices (cameras, mp3 players, tablets, phones) and positions the personal computing device as the center of the consumer’s world. It plays on the sentiment that the “Tabs, phones, cameras are an expression of me, but my personal computing device is me and it’s where I do wonderful things”.

This era is defined by technology.The potential to provide common man and woman with access to better education, healthcare and basic services like banking is possibly the most exciting transformative feature of technology. By doing so, it empowers every citizen to be more successful, productive and contribute greatly to their families, communities and domestic economies. However, even though India has proved its mettle in the information technology domain the country’s performance at providing computing technology and internet access to its citizen has been tardy. Hence Intel’s initiatives like National Digital Literacy Mission, Follow the Fiber help in taking the relevance of technology to the grassroots.

Arora informed that so far the National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM), driven jointly by Intel and NASSCOM, has seen tremendous response from the industry, government and citizens alike. Last year as part of NDLM, about 10000 volunteers from participating organizations trained over 22000 citizens on digital literacy skills. Through their own Digital Literacy training program, Intel Easy Steps, impacted lives of over 1million learners in India.  As a part of Follow the Fiber initiative, Intel has set up training camps in the first three villages that received the National Optic Fiber Network and begun training 1 person per household in each of these three villages.  The My Discoveries program was hugely successful reaching over 3 million youth across India with the message of personal computing device relevancy and usage in a highly contextual, relevant, personal and engaging manner. The campaign focuses on how people can use a personal computing device to transform their lives and discover their potential to create wonderful things.

Arora said that,” As a campaign which delivered a personalized experience to a consumer, strong and positive response has led us to extend and expand the campaign in the near future.  We are very happy with the way consumers have received this campaign and we are creating natural extensions of this campaign into our retail program as well.”