A year ago, Jim Parsons starred in his first major brand campaign—for Intel, having out-nerded 60 other actors for the endorsement deal. Now, in his sophomore effort for the tech marketer, the Big Bang Theory star plays everything from brand historian to prankster, as he introduces Intel's new sixth-generation Core processor.
In TV spots and social videos from mcgarrybowen, Parsons highlights the processor and the benefits associated with it. Along the way, he takes a journey through Intel's past (with cameos by earlier decades' unfortunate fashions), sings along with a child's video (which never has to end, thanks to the processor's less draining effect on computer batteries), advises a terrified skydiver (about editing and sharing his horrifying footage) and wakes up a sleeping man (like the processor instantly wakes up computers from sleep).
"We brought back Jim Parsons, who consumers loved for his fun, approachable style and connection to technology, as the star of a series of ads spotlighting the new chip and the many innovations that Intel has delivered throughout the years," said mcgarrybowen group creative director Craig Cimmino.
"Our sixth-generation Intel Core processor is our best ever, and we wanted to market it in a way that supported this fact," said Steven Fund, chief marketing officer at Intel. "The advertising utilizes compelling claims around meaningful points of difference versus prior generations, clearly highlighting the consumer benefit through improvements in increased battery life, 4k video editing and instant wake up."
Separately, mcgarrybowen has created social videos called "Dead Battery Eulogies," which humorously show people grieving over sudden loss of battery life.
"One key feature that we found particularly interesting was the new processor's ability to extend a PC's battery life," said Cimmino. "Let's face it: We've all had our battery die on us at opportune times. To highlight that universal commonality, we created a separate series of 'Dead Battery Eulogies.' People are already voicing their frustrations about battery life online, and so these videos are designed to say to consumers, 'Hey, we hear you, and we've created a solution.' "
CREDITS
—Jim Parsons spots
Client: Intel
Agency: mcgarrybowen
Managing Director, Executive Creative Director: Marianne Besch
Group Creative Director: Craig Cimmino
Associate Creative Directors: Brian Mekjian, Ryan McCarthy
Art Director: Chris Nelson
Copywriter: Grant Cohen, Kyle Schlinkert
Head of Broadcast Production: Dante Piacenza
Senior Producer: Joe Maire
Content Producer: Jack Mullenix
Executive Music Producer: Jarrett Mason
Production: Brother
Director: Ted Melfi
Director of Photography: Mark Williams
Executive Producer: Rich Carter
Line Producer: Kelli Abraham
Edit: WAX
Editor: Chris Huth
Assistant Editor: Casey Swoyer
Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Toni Lipari
Senior Producer: Evan Meeker
Post Production: WAX
Flame Artists: Mike Grosshandler, Rich Siciliano, Bryan Rosenblum
Colorist: Tim Masik, CO3
Mixer: Michael Marinelli, Sonic Union
Music: Future Perfect
Sound Design: Machine Head/ Sonic Union
Planning Director: Michael Cox
Managing Director: Peter Geary
Account Director: Amy Krieg
Account Supervisor: Courtney LeBlanc
Account Executive: Ayesha Khara
—Eulogies Spots
Client: Intel
Agency: mcgarrybowen
Managing Director, Executive Creative Director: Marianne Besch
Group Creative Director: Craig Cimmino
Associate Creative Directors: Brian Mekjian, Ryan McCarthy
Art Director: Chris Nelson, Alexander Shelley
Copywriter: Grant Cohen, Kyle Schlinkert, Frances Beuche
Head of Broadcast Production: Dante Piacenza
Senior Producer: Joe Maire
Content Producer: Jack Mullenix
Executive Music Producer: Jarrett Mason
Production: Brother
Director: Ted Melfi
Director of Photography: Mark Williams
Executive Producer: Rich Carter
Line Producer: Kelli Abraham
Edit: WAX
Editor: Jason Sager
Assistant Editor: Casey Swoyer
Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Toni Lipari
Senior Producer: Evan Meeker
Post Production: WAX
Flame Artists: Mike Grosshandler, Rich Siciliano, Bryan Rosenblum
Colorist: Stephen Picano
Music: Found Objects
Planning Director: Michael Cox
Managing Director: Peter Geary
Account Director: Amy Krieg
Account Supervisor: Courtney LeBlanc
Account Executive: Ayesha Khara
