To overcome innovation immunity we had to find a way to break the category trend we started 47 years ago – use media to show the positive impact our technology could make – and create a new one – using media to make our audience feel the positive impact.

So we did this by humanizing innovation.

Introducing the Intel Co-Lab – an experiment in applying Intel technology to matters of the heart.

The Intel Co-Lab saw Intel use their innovations to provide fresh produce to a foodless community in Chicago and provide a hand to a young boy born without one who dreamt of becoming a professional BMX rider.

Both ‘matters of the heart’ were found by following the social conversations of our audience and identifying the aspects of social causes they had a high affinity to.

The partners that aligned to our criteria were Sweet Water Foundation (SWF) and e-Nable.

SWF’s mission is to democratize urban agriculture so we transformed three shipping containers into learning pods, using Intel’s technology to give a foodless community the knowledge to grow produce and become the “farmers of the future”. Next experiment, a young boy born without a hand who dreams of being a BMX biker. In partnership with e-Nable he comes closer to his goal by using Intel technology to 3d print a prosthetic.

The experiments existed in the real world but the social world was most suited to connecting these stories with our audience. The experiments were transformed into a series of content pieces, each designed to have an emotional focus with the Intel technology intertwined seamlessly.

Our ‘heartbeat’ media was fuelled with on-ground and virtual education around the technology and its positive impact on the social cause.

The experiments were viewed 6.4MM times. Through transforming our audience into ‘heartbeat’ media we were able to have over 5 million of these views happen organically and emotional context built through personal experiences with the social causes.

Audience enjoyment of the experiments was clear with 75% of viewers watching the entire Intel Co-Lab series.

By humanizing technology and making our audience feel the positive impacts of our technology, we drove a +9pt lift in perception of Intel as innovative brand and increased purchase intent for Intel powered products by 20%.