Inside Intel Inside
Youngme Moon

The Intel brand has established itself as a distinguishable name in the computing market. Their focus was to make Intel's brand recognizable as being safe (reliable) and a leader of technology. Through the use of different marketing experiments and campaigns, Intel was successful in creating an umbrella brand that would span across many generations of products. In 2002, Pamela Pollace was faced with a dilemma regarding the Intel brand. As Intel's V.P. and director of worldwide marketing operations, Pamela was researching the potential expansion of Intel's brand into the mobile computing market segment. Her main focus was to continue to protect, preserve and build the brand equity. There were many risks involved with delving into the mobile market but also had the opportunity for Intel to continue to produce quality products with its brand label.

Key Issues with Suggested Solutions

Extending the "Intel Inside" brand. Intel has been the market leader in microprocessors but has yet to expand into different product categories. Pamela Pollace stressed the fact that "Intel Inside" success has been accredited to the technology to back it up. Intel's products match their brand assurance as the best in the biz. Exploring new product categories that Intel's technology teams haven't been associating with becomes a risky endeavor. Proper research of these new markets and potential new product technology will better assist the extension of the Intel Brand.

Possible dilution of Intel's brand. Intel's presence in the PC market is insurmountable. Will expansion to other  markets really damage its brand equity in the PC market? It is a possibility because any new products that Intel uses its name with has the potential risk to damage if these products have defects or fail in the eyes of consumers. Intel must ensure that their brand for the PC market not be affected by expansion into these new market segments.

Best marketing strategy to use for potential expansion. Intel's expansion into new markets must be met with caution. So far, Intel is known for it's high quality and reliability so their new product extension has to make sure these attributes are being held up. As stated in the case, Intel was looking to partner with Microsoft to make advancements in the mobile computing market that they can create a standard template in which to work with. Familiarizing Intel's technology teams with the new cell phone technology from the start will allow them to feel positive about the products they are placing their name on.



Seller's Viewpoint


Intel currently only has a 1% market share of the mobile computing segment.We'll need to fight an uphill battle in order to make a name for ourselves in this market. Do we use, and risk damaging, the existing Intel Inside brand in an attempt to rally sales?



Buyer's viewpoint

Intel is the no doubt the leader in desktop computing. Their processors have maintained themselves as the industry leader since their inception. Intel has yet to expand into the mobile computing segment but I would definitely be intrigued to see what products they place their brand name on. I'm sure it will be a success for Intel.