Please join me in welcoming our new Director of Creative Innovation – Will.i.am. Yesterday we (Intel) announced a new member of our ‘Blue Badge’ work force… a classification given to our full time, non contract contingent – the most creative member of the group The Black Eyed Peas. Announced at our annual Sales and Marketing conference to our internal teams, and to the rest of the world through Will.i.am’s Twitter Feed, the news was met with overwhelming kudos from all outlets of the press. My favorite quote:
“every beat I make is made with intel. And now were partners.”
This week, at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show we (Intel) introduced the world’s best new processors, the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor family. As part of this announcement with a focus on the visually stunning features built right into the chips through processor graphics, we’ve also unveiled a component of our Visibly Smart marketing campaign called the Visual Life. We’d like to have you show us your Visual Life. The people you know, the places you visit, the things that inspire you… To kick things off, we’ve produced a video of Blogger Scott Schuman, aka “The Sartorialist” as an example of someone who lives and breathes, a very Visual Life.
Today, eMarketer released a study from the Center For Market Research on the adoption of micro-blogging by the Fortune 500. The increased adoption (60% of the Fortune 500 is now leveraging Twitter – up from 35% a year ago) shows the evolving importance of using this platform for customer service, promotion, and overall engagement with users of their brand offerings. We, at Intel, leverage Twitter significantly to engage with our users, answer questions, and promote new marketing campaigns and product launches. We’ve found it to be an effective tool to ensure that we are always available to the needs of current and future customers. What’s been great to see is that the Twitterverse is 1) Interested in what we have to say 2) Takes advantage of the opportunity to engage back with us and 3) Helps amplify our messages that they find interesting by retweeting or commenting on key exchanges. This is a trend that is only going to continue to grow, and is an important means for value exchange with our user base.
We’re on a roll here lately at Intel. We’ve launched a stunning new Core Processor Family, we’ve done a great job of continuing to build our brand through media executions like the Super Bowl and March Madness, and we’ve been recognized for our leadership in innovation by Business Week, Fast Company as well as showing leadership among the most admired companies in the world. Today, Forbes recognized us for being in the top ten most reputable companies. It feels great to work for a company that is so widely recognized for Innovation, Reputation, and Quality. One subnote, Forbes should probably take a look at our site to ensure that they have our official logo – that ‘dropped e’ hasn’t been around for quite some time!
Well, I guess we ARE the Sponsors of Tomorrow… last year, Business Week had us ranked as the #33 most innovative company. After a long year in the middle of the pack, we’ve surged forward. It’s been a great year. We’ve released a major brand campaign, a new product line, and have gotten some great press to boost our visibility. Oh yeah, and we knocked the socks off the Street earlier this week with our Q1 earnings announcement. Looking forward to cracking the top 10 next year…
As an employee and shareholder, it always pleases me when we successfully navigate our analyst call and the stock actually goes up (that’s rare). Today beat everyone’s expectations. Here’s the snapshot:
First-Quarter Results
Revenue $10.3 Billion
Gross Margin 63%
Operating Income $3.4 Billion
Net Income $2.4 Billion
EPS 43 Cents
That took the Street’s breath away and pushed our stock into territory we haven’t seen in a while. Granted, that’s not saying a ton if you’ve been tracking our stock the last couple of years, but any north bound growth is a big deal during these financial times. What I’m most pleased about is the fact that our CEO, Paul Otellini, paints an optimistic picture for our near term outlook as well:
“The investments we’re making in leading edge technology are delivering the most compelling product line-up in our history, said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. These leadership products combined with growing worldwide demand and continued outstanding execution resulted in Intel’s best first quarter ever. Looking forward, we’re optimistic about our business as Intel products are designed into a variety of new and exciting segments.”
I’ve been a Blackberry user for a long time – a really long time. I’ve become a master of the ‘intuitive’ text feature (with only one phrase being the bane of my existence, but that’s another story) and I’m a fan of the small form factor of the Pearl 8110 – it fits easily in your front pocket, does most everything I need it to do, and is a very reliable device.
However this year, as in years past with Intel, I’ve been asked to take the lead on a new media vehicle and explore all of our options for marketing and advertising programs in that space. Hence, my Blackberry got a mate – in the form of an iPhone. Now, I’ve been a long time ‘listener’ but have made the transition to first time ‘caller’…to use a radio talk show line. I’m not convinced that I’m going to be excited about carrying two devices (although many of my counterparts already do it), it is a necessary evil to be proficient in the trends of the mobile web. Next step – securing an Android device…
We’re pretty excited about the opportunities that are presenting themselves in the mobile space and are intent on creating some innovative and first mover programs that bring the Intel brand to a ‘third’ screen. We’ve already done some good work in the Americas with our iPhone app and our Global team has partnered with a leading mobile agency and a leading web-based streaming music company to create a compelling mobile experience that gives iPhone users a unique ‘station’ modeled after the 3 types of ‘Core’ processors – each providing a unique listening experience. This is the first time a custom channel has been developed for a mobile device on Pandora – kudos to our Global team for making that happen.
Stay tuned – it’s going to be an exciting ride on the Mobile Web for us this year.
One of the really great things about working at Intel is the fact that I get to work on some amazing programs. As a GIGANTIC sports fan and an ardent user of great technology, I have been spoiled this year. Not only are we announcing and launching a new family of Intel Core processors, we are doing so around major events in the first half of the year. First, there was the Super Bowl. Next was last Sunday’s first ever foray in the Academy Awards. Starting this Sunday, we are unveiling a major relationship with CBS and their coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tourney – aka, March Madness. Don’t let me tell the tale, rather read what Stuart Elliott’s (New York Times Advertising columnist) take in today’s Media Decoder blog. We’re very happy with this coverage – Mr. Elliott did a nice job capturing the essence of a very complicated integrated media effort. I’ll be watching the whole tourney – from Selection Sunday, to the Play-In game, the National Championship game on April 5th in Indianapolis.
It’s award season…and I am not just talking about the Oscars. You’ll have to wait for Sunday night’s telecast to see our spot in broadcast.
Following FastCompany’s list of most innovative companies (Intel was ranked #14), Fortune Magazine released it’s list of the world’s most admired companies for 2010. Intel comes in at #31 – up two spots from last year. I think the first comment in our section says it best:
“Of course Intel should be admired .. one of the best companies based in Silicon Valley working with the greatest minds in the world .. life as we know it would never have been the same with out Intel’s innovations…”
We’re on a roll here lately at Intel. We’ve launched a stunning new 
It’s award season…and I am not just talking about the Oscars. You’ll have to wait for Sunday night’s telecast to see our spot in broadcast.