Intel Gets Social with ITopia

Listening as marketing - it's becoming a weekly theme around here. Yet another big brand is exploring new ways to leverage social media tools to better listen to their customers: Intel is launching ITopia next week. ITopia is designed to enable IT professionals to talk directly with Intel engineers and will also include community sites for IT pros to connect directly with each other.Intel demonstrates a fundamental understanding that developing a listening-as-marketing approach is not merely a one-off; but is something that will require time and commitment to nurture over time.

"It wouldn't make sense to do it for eight weeks," said Augustine Fou, svp of digital strategy at IPG's MRM Worldwide, which crafted the effort with McCann Erickson and Universal McCann. "You can't achieve a trust relationship in eight weeks."

Not only will Intel use the online communities for technical support and addressing IT questions; customers will also be able to discuss ideas for new products and even shape developing marketing strategies. By connecting customers directly with engineers ready to help and taking a long-term view of cultivating relationships with it's community of IT professionals, Intel is plotting the course for a great social media strategy that doesn't just generate great conversations, but establishes a richer level of engagement.