Friendly Advertising and Competition between all Technology Companies
Apple Computer is known for the creation of the famous commercial during the prime time football game yet all technology companies shared a type of advertising. Most of our business executives in the semiconductor industry started as team mates and colleagues under one company. Later, these executives created off shoots, startup businesses that we are familiar with today.
Is this the New Product Launch or?
Yes, there are many product launches and brand advertising. The insider story is told that these professionals found unusual ways of sharing and creating reminders of new products and achievements to their former team mates at companies down the street. This is one story from our archives search.
Hoping to catch the eye of air travelers, Intel has blazoned its new logo on its roof.
“Intel Shouts Slogan from the Rooftops” as per San Jose Mercury News article referenced below
Those of us with poetic souls have occasionally looked down from the window of an airplane and noticed that Silicon Valley looks somewhat like a giant PC motherboard. The rectangular tilt-up office buildings resemble chips, with the striped parking lots as pins and freeways as wiring.
The hopeless romantics at Intel have the same thought. That’s why they’ve painted a 64-32 foot “Intel Inside” logo on the roof of their new office building at the corner of Mission College Boulevard and Montague Expressway in Santa Clara. The slogan, seen in TV commercials and on highway billboards, is part of Intel’s $250 million ad campaign to tout its microprocessors. An Intel spokeswoman said a number of employees have noticed the rooftop sign, visible only from the air, but she had no idea if it’s been spotted yet by anyone from arch-rival AMD.
News article from San Jose Mercury, May 6 1992
Intel on Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara CA
Insider Bytes/Notes of the History of Intel Corporation
- Intel Museum is a good stopping place for visitors.
- Founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore from Fairchild Semiconductor. Later joined by Andy Grove, the current chairman and CEO. Andy has been described as a fiery and brilliant strategist who helped propel the growth of the PC industry and installed Intel at its helm.
- All the employees that left Fairchild – off springs are called ‘Fair-children’.
- Interesting to see the original Business plan on the internet. Hand typed by Robert Noyce on a typewriter with the many spelling and grammar errors.
- Now – with the internet displacing the PC, Intel is pushing into chips for networking and electronic commerce.
- Robert Noyce story of stealing a pig for a luau in college and was suspended for a semester when he sold life insurance. Thus, his knowledge of life insurance and adding the benefit for employees. (Story from The Silicon Valley Boys and Their Valley of Dreams).
- Ann Bowers (Bowers is an early Santa Clara valley family) was the second wife of Noyce. Stories shared is that Noyce passed up a chance to invest in Apple and the 2 Steve’s. Later on, Ann became Apple’s VP of HR and recipient of many stock options.
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Editor’s Note: Thank you to the following articles and pictures and are used with permission from Donna West. Please contact for permission to use. Comments are welcome about this Semiconductor trivia. Please share here and direct contact.
References:
The Silicon Valley Boys and Their Valley of Dreams, By David A. Kaplan
“Intel Shouts Slogan from the Rooftops” from San Jose Mercury News Article, May 6, 1992
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