The Magic of Metaphors

As businesses race to unlock the potential of AI, cloud migration has become the first critical step. But despite growing urgency, migrating workloads to the cloud remains a deeply complex task. For every workload moved, companies face thousands of configuration choices — often without the data to make them confidently.

To help enterprises make smarter, faster decisions, Intel launched the Intel Cloud Optimizer: an AI-powered software solution designed to simplify cloud migration and cost optimization. But the product’s complexity had made it tough to market.

Intel needed a new approach to generate demand for a complex, high-value solution. The goal: engage a curated list of enterprise accounts and drive meaningful engagement and qualified pipeline.

We knew we needed to simplify the message. No more specs. No more tech jargon. Just clarity.

To land the value proposition, we turned to metaphors. Our creative compared complex IT decisions to everyday mistakes — like eating soup with a fork or hammering a nail with a screwdriver. Simple metaphors made a technical concept instantly relatable.

We built tailored eGuides for two distinct audiences: DevOps (focused on performance) and FinOps (focused on cost control). These assets addressed their specific pain points and were promoted through LinkedIn, content syndication, and programmatic display to a precision-matched audience showing cloud migration intent.

Those who engaged were funneled into personalized nurture journeys with relevant content based on their role. Sales was looped in automatically via real-time alerts and custom email templates, making follow-up easy.

We introduced a 12-month risk-free trial, giving decision-makers a chance to experience the value of Intel Cloud Optimizer without upfront commitment.

The campaign delivered results that were anything but metaphorical.

We exceeded all major campaign targets in the first quarter alone. We reached 96% of our targeted enterprise accounts, generated more than triple the expected volume of qualified leads, and created meaningful momentum across high-value sales opportunities.