The Pentium III processor was launched in February of 1999 and by mid-2000 it was becoming yesterday’s news in high tech and computing.  That was before Intel launched a new branding campaign in the fall of 2000 featuring the “Blue Man Group.”  These breakthrough ads created a whole new level of interest and excitement around Pentium III and Intel.

The highly arresting, immediately identifiable and strongly branded ads quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and helped Intel achieve all-time highs for brand and advertising awareness among consumers worldwide. Hailed by Adweek as one of the marketing “Hits” of 2009, the campaign was described as having “a stripped- down visual look that's memorable, but also a neural sophistication that goes with the complicated work of the Pentium 3 processor. The colors are blazing, and the group's wordless work is charming.”

The ads said very little, but they stood for a lot.  The energy, creativity, competitiveness and surprise & delight that existed in each ad conveyed the same  strong characteristics that existed in Intel and its Pentium products.  That’s why when it came to launch the Pentium 4 processor in early 2001, the “Blue Man Group” campaign was extended with another, fresh crop of compelling TV, Online, Print and Retail ads (see TV spots below).  Blue Man Group's emphasis on visual communication provided global appeal for the new Pentium 4 processor advertising and the Pentium 4 processor achieved awareness thresholds faster than any Intel product in history.

Bob Noyce, one of Intel’s founders, once said, “Don’t be encumbered by history. Go off and do something wonderful.“  There’s probably no brand campaign that exemplified that spirit better then the Pentium campaigns featuring “Blue Man Group.”