VIEWPOINT
Ingredient branding case study: Intel
Introduction 1. Introduction to ingredient branding 2. The need for an ingredient brand 3. Developing the ingredient brand strategy 4. Intel co-operative marketing strategy 5. Creating a quality standard 6. Intel campaign investment 7. Ingredient branding results 8. Ingredient branding success factors 1. Introduction to ingredient branding Every month more than 4 million billion (4 x 1015) transistors are produced; more than half a million for every human on the planet. Most computer chips each comprise more than 7 million transistors. Twelve years ago computer chips, in the eyes of consumers, were a generally unknown component of PCs - a commodity product. From a competitive standpoint, a computer chip is a typical commodity. Take one out, put another in, no performance difference. Chips are something most customers don't see, many don't understand, and large numbers don't care about. But Intel has built a brand around a commodity. The company was founded in 1968 and went public in 1971. By 1997, it controlled 90% of the world's market for personal PC microprocessors. Although the market is more competitive today, Intel is still the largest chip manufacturer in the world. 2. The need for an ingredient brand Intel developed the chips which set the standard for personal computing during the 1980s, beginning with the 8086 chip and then developing a series of product improvements. Competitors rapidly adopted the same naming convention, and Intel's product names - the 286, 386 and 486 could not be protected. Intel had to find a way to become distinctive in what seemed to consumers to be a confusing, commodity marketplace. When Intel lost its battle for the "386" trade mark, they began the transition from a microprocessor producer to a branded products company. In 1991, the "Intel Inside" brand ingredient programme was