Intel, the computer chip manufacturer, is hunting for a new agency to
devise PR programmes on a pan-European basis.
The company, best known for its Pentium and Pentium Pro processors, saw
pitches from two Brussels-based agencies and one UK firm at its European
headquarters in Munich last month. It has yet to make an appointment.
The precise brief is unclear, although it is understood that Intel
intends to use the selected agency on a project-by-project basis to
formulate pan-European campaigns directed at consumers and businesses.
The outline programmes would then be tailored and implemented locally by
agencies and in-house teams across the 18 countries where Intel has a
presence. Initial projects could be worth around pounds 50,000 each in
fees.
Corporate PR programmes manager Damien Callaghan declined to give
specific details of the brief, but insisted that there would be no
retainer. ‘We are looking for support from an agency with a good feel
for the European market,’ he said.
Intel already uses an array of PR agencies across Europe. In the UK
these include DPA and The Practice. Paragon also devises pan-European
programmes on a corporate level.
Intel, which recently overhauled its pricing strategy for Pentium
processors, is currently testing a range of new technologies associated
with the Internet, including streaming - which involves playing a video
as it downloads from a Web site.
