To prove the incredible power and speed of Intel’s newest Core processors, it created an immersive mobile game that transformed the everyday audience into action heroes, armed with the powers of the second-generation Intel Core processors. The end result was an original and addictive Apple iAd known as “The Escape,” an interactive mission-based game. By simply clicking on a standard mobile banner, the audience was instantly transported into the world of “The Escape,” no downloads required. These rich, sophisticated, and high-impact multimedia experiences blurred the lines between content, gaming, and brand promotion for Intel.
In 2011, as Intel unveiled its all-new second-generation Core processor family, it needed to make the benefits of its high-speed multi-tasking processor come to life for its audience. Research had revealed that Intel’s main target audience was best influenced when the processor’s benefits were demonstrated. These tech-savvy consumers were also spending more time on smartphones to consume multimedia and gaming. These insights led Intel to the Apple iAd platform for “The Escape,” an in-app gaming experience.
Players were transformed into a femme fatale whose sole mission was to recover the Intel Core processor. With two dangerous enemies hot on their heels, the players’ only escape was to complete four missions using Intel Turbo Boost, Smart Multi-Tasking, and Built-In Gaming — all features native to the second generation Core processors. Players were immersed in “The Escape” through video vignettes and first-player games, which used all of iAd’s advanced technologies, including the gyroscope, accelerometer, and multi-touch interface. Intel’s processors played a vital role in empowering users to triumph in each mission and remain front-and-center throughout the game.
“The Escape” game crushed all anticipated results. Within three months, more than five million consumers engaged with the rich media game, playing almost 3,000 hours. It outperformed historical and concurrent TV campaigns, boosting Intel preference nearly four times higher compared to TV ads. Additionally, the game was favored over online video ads almost three-fold, and bested the overall iAd averages in key categories by more than 200 percent. In the three months that the iAd ran, “The Escape” gaming experience increased Intel brand awareness, interest, and engagement, and was touted in the industry as Intel’s most ambitious and imaginative mobile advertising campaign yet.
