Intel Branded Content Campaign

In 2016/17, I drove the strategic vision and execution of a custom branded content initiative for Intel, showcasing how technology is shaping our future. As Vox Media’s first branded content initiative, this campaign established a scalable, repeatable framework for future projects. The effort unfolded in multiple phases: first, the development of 10 long-form branded content pages; next, the creation of high-impact ad units designed to drive traffic to these stories; and finally, an agile pivot to native advertising when initial content didn't meet expected KPIs. The campaign ultimately exceeded performance benchmarks and became foundational for Vox Media's branded content strategy moving forward.

Problem

Develop Vox Media's first branded content experience without existing frameworks or guidelines, balancing stringent brand requirements from Intel with editorial independence. Additionally, navigate unforeseen performance challenges by rapidly pivoting strategies mid-campaign to deliver on promised traffic and engagement benchmarks.

Goal

Create an engaging, visually compelling branded content experience that aligns seamlessly with Intel's brand identity, delivers measurable audience engagement, and establishes a scalable, repeatable design framework. Additionally, empower rapid content production through an intuitive, editorially independent publishing system, and swiftly adapt strategies to exceed performance benchmarks.

Results

Benchmarks Exceeded: Successfully met and exceeded Intel’s performance targets, significantly boosting traffic and engagement through the innovative introduction of native advertising.

Scalable Branded Content Framework: Created a repeatable, scalable design and content framework, streamlining production processes and enabling rapid execution of 50+ future branded campaigns.

Pioneered Native Advertising at Vox: Defined native advertising standards at Vox Media, introducing a powerful new tool to drive audience engagement and surpass expected KPIs.

Industry Recognition

Recognized by industry experts for pioneering innovative branded content strategies and excellence in execution.

2014 Digiday Content Marketing Awards, Finalist

Process and Approach

Stakeholder Alignment & Strategic Planning
Facilitated initial visual goal-setting sessions with Vox Creative and Intel stakeholders, defining clear objectives, timelines, success criteria, and ensuring alignment on Intel’s brand standards and campaign expectations.

Co-Branded Visual Strategy
Directed the creation of a cohesive visual identity by designing a cobranded logo and exploring flexible visual treatments that adhered to Intel’s brand guidelines while integrating smoothly into Vox Media's platform.

Integrated Design and Development
Managed parallel design and build phases by closely partnering with Engineering and Vox Creative teams. This ensured creative concepts were technically feasible, stakeholder expectations were met, and project goals were clearly reflected throughout the iterative development process.

Strategic UX Design and User-Centric Layout
Oversaw UX and visual design direction across key elements, focusing on delivering a compelling reader experience with intuitive navigation, high-impact brand elements, engaging multimedia content, and frictionless social sharing:

  • Easy-to-navigate branded header and footer

  • Engaging hero video to capture user attention

  • Complementary article content optimized for engagement

  • High-visibility brand-awareness elements to showcase Intel

  • Quick, intuitive navigation for seamless content exploration

  • Effective social-sharing options to amplify reach

Innovative Back-End Development for Rapid Iteration
Partnered closely with Engineering to implement a streamlined publishing workflow powered by Google Docs, enabling faster iteration, independent content updates, and significantly accelerating product launch timelines. This flexible infrastructure set a new standard for rapid, repeatable branded content creation across Vox Media.

Rigorous Quality Assurance
Coordinated comprehensive QA alongside Revenue Support, testing rigorously for UX consistency, browser compatibility, and cross-device responsiveness, ensuring the campaign delivered a seamless experience on launch.

Rolling Launch and Iterative Improvement
Managed the strategic rollout of 10 weekly editorial and video content pieces, supported by 50+ tailored banners. Established UX guidelines and structured layout templates to streamline ongoing campaign iterations.

Agile Response to Underperformance
Proactively responded to initial KPI shortfalls by rapidly developing high-impact display ads. Collaborated with the Ad Operations team to pioneer Vox Media’s native advertising strategy, seamlessly blending branded content with editorial, significantly enhancing performance.

Long-Term Strategic Impact
Defined scalable design and UX frameworks, setting a foundational precedent for more than 50 future branded content campaigns. This initiative also shaped Vox Media’s enduring strategy for integrating native advertising, solidifying best practices and ensuring continued alignment with evolving market needs.

Conclusion

By delivering Vox Media’s first branded content campaign for Intel, we not only exceeded ambitious performance goals but also established foundational standards that reshaped our approach to future advertising initiatives. Through strategic pivots and cross-team collaboration, we introduced native advertising to Vox's portfolio, creating a scalable framework that drove sustained engagement and set a new benchmark for digital storytelling and branded content partnerships.

FOUNDATIONAL VISUAL LANGUAGE: BRAND ALIGNMENT & COBRANDING STRATEGY

Color & Gradient Palette Exploration
Left: Original Intel brand colors provided for visual alignment.
Right: Strategic expansion into a cobranded palette, blending Intel’s identity with Vox Media's visual style to support cohesive storytelling.

Integration of Intel Brand Assets
Select visual elements from Intel's existing brand guidelines thoughtfully incorporated into the campaign’s foundational visual language, ensuring brand consistency and immediate recognition across the experience.

COBRANDING IN ACTION: LOGO & IMAGE TREATMENT EXPLORATIONS

Creation of custom campaign logo
Early explorations of The Future is Now campaign logo, giving Intel’s established, recognizable brand an innovative futuristic twist.

Image Color Treatment Explorations
Creative experimentation with image treatments to achieve visual harmony, reinforce brand cohesion, and enhance content storytelling.

Final Logo & Image Treatment
The selected cobranded logo and image treatment—delivering a refined balance between Intel's brand presence and Vox Media's editorial aesthetic, strategically designed for immediate brand recognition and impact.

DEFINING STRUCTURE: FROM INITIAL SKETCHES TO HIGH-FIDELITY MOCKS

Early Layout Explorations
Initial wireframes exploring fully custom layouts for Intel's branded content.
Left: article pages designed for deep engagement. Right: the central hub page designed to anchor the campaign experience.

High-Fidelity Refinement
Advanced stage mockups refining the user experience.
Left: article page with clear content hierarchy. Right: hub page optimized for streamlined navigation, promoting continuous user engagement and seamless content discovery.

AMPLIFYING REACH: STANDARD AND HIGH-IMPACT AD UNITS

Standard Banner Ad Iterations
Built scalable templates for rotational banner ads, enabling rapid iteration and streamlined production across multiple content pieces.

High-Impact and Native Ad Placements
Post-launch adaptive ad units designed to address initial traffic challenges.
Left: a high-impact display ad to capture attention. Right, a seamlessly integrated native ad to organically drive audience engagement and exceed performance benchmarks.

INTEGRATING SEAMLESSLY: PIONEERING NATIVE ADVERTISING

Early Native Ad Placement Sketches
Initial sketches developed collaboratively with the AdOps team, defining consistent native ad placements across Vox Media’s diverse brand ecosystem.

Standardized Homepage Native Placements
Finalized native ad placements integrated across Vox Media brands (Eater, Polygon, Racked, SB Nation, The Verge, and Vox), establishing a new standard in branded content campaign packages.

SCALING FOR IMPACT: EXPANDING THE FRAMEWORK

Future Campaigns Leveraging the Intel Framework
Over 50 subsequent branded content campaigns, including Negra Modelo, Infinity, and Absolut (pictured above), successfully leveraged the scalable framework first developed for Intel, demonstrating its versatility and enduring strategic value.