Sometimes it is the simple idea that makes the most sense and creates the greatest impression. When Intel and Barcelona planned a partnership based around technology that will enhance players, the club, the fans and the brand, they hit upon the core idea being the importance of what is inside.
As the video below shows, for Barcelona this means the heart, passion and commitment on the pitch in the stands at Camp Nou and beyond.
For Intel, who make the components that power our digital world, ‘inside’ is a vital concept in terms of branding and understanding.
The obvious way to express this publicly was to put the brand on the inside of the Barcelona jersey and so it came to be. It does of course help that there is then no conflict with Qatar Airways which adorns the front and Unicef that is on the back of the shirt. In every way an almost perfect complementary deal.
Intel will provide the kind of technical assistance that is at the heart of sports analytics and its growing major importance to sport. It will develop new programmes for the players and the development squads that are part of the Barcelona way.
There will also be a major input to the digital elements of the redevelopment of the Camp Nou Stadium or the building of a brand new 105,000 seater stadium in the city. The key here will be to make sure that fan experience at the ground is even better than it is for the many millions of Barcelona fans who follow from afar.
It is a neat coincidence that Intel employs the same number of people around the world, almost 5,000 of them in Ireland at Leixlip and Shannon.
The new kit will be worn for the first time this weekend and is the latest in a long line of technology partnerships with sport that have been revealed in 2013, including that between Samsung and Leinster Rugby.
