Read the Label.

With the world pointing us to a greater consciousness, we are consistently urged to “read the label” and to better understand what is in our food, drink and even clothes.  Ingredients can be important in technology too. Ingredient brands are just that – ingredients – a smaller part of a larger whole.  Often the ingredient brand is unknown to the consumer.  They are virtually invisible, unless the ingredient has marketing muscle power behind it.  In the early 1990’s Intel launched it’s Intel Inside campaign, convincing computer makers that the value of the computers would be increased with the “Intel Inside” brand marketing campaign behind it (Graj, 2014).

The Intel Inside campaign was the first trademarked in the computer processor segment (Intangible Business, 2005).  The move brought greater general awareness to the processor market as a whole and broader brand awareness to Intel (Intangible Business, 2005).  Business was up 63% after the first year of the marketing and advertising campaign, and in 2001 Intel was listed as the sixth most valuable brand (Intangible Business, 2005).  This is proof positive that ingredient-branding can and does work to improve even the ingredient brand.

Whether it’s Intel inside our devices, Smuckers Jam in our pop tarts or Downey in our Tide, we are ultra aware of the ingredients, of the brand within (Casestudyinc.com, 2011).  Where it gets interesting is where the worlds collide, where we have technology leaping over into our clothes.  With the newly announced Intel acquisition of Basis Science (Hornyak, 2014).  Intel is branching out – moving into the very fabric of our lives – our clothes.  The chip maker is driving towards “wearable reference devices” (Hornyak, 2014).  The question is, do we want Intel in our clothes?

What’s in your Brand?

References:

Casestudyinc.com (2011, October 25).  Ingredient Brand.  Retrieved from: http://www.casestudyinc.com/glossary/ingredient-brand

Fraj, S. (2013, July 10).  Intel, Gore-Tex and Eastman: The provenance of Ingredient Branding.  Forbes.com.  Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/simongraj/2013/07/10/intel-gore-tex-and-eastman-the-provenance-of-ingredient-branding/

Hornyak, T. (2014, March 25).  Intel acquires health band maker Basis Science. Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2112000/intel-acquires-health-band-maker-basis-science.html

Intangible Business (2005, November).  Ingredient Branding Case Study Intel. Retrieved from: http://www.intangiblebusiness.com/news/marketing/2005/11/ingredient-branding-case-study-intel

Kepes, B. (2014, January 15).  The Ultimate Branding Coup? – Intel Inside Goes Cloud.  Forbes.com.  Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkepes/2014/01/15/the-ultimate-branding-coup-intel-inside-goes-cloud/