Today and again on Friday, Intel is employing banner ads that directly connect users into live chat sessions. The core goals: Engage end-users globally, answer their questions and gather their input about the brand's new Nehalem Xeon processor.

This week, the in-chat banner ads will be seen across North America and a number of other countries on sites including CIO Today, CNET-TechRepublic, ZDNet, Computerworld.com, IDG TechNetwork, Information Week, InfoWorld, Internet.com and LinkedIn.com.

In addition, live-chat banner ads will run on sites reaching target audiences in the U.K., Singapore, Russia, France, Germany and Australia on selected days between today and April 29.

Intel's conversational marketing initiative is an example of a major brand using new, two-way communication banner-ad applications to increase consumer interaction and build relationships with the brand by engaging them where they are, without the need to click into a separate site.

Once the live-chat ads are active, the application will act as an online switchboard, routing specific subject inquiries to the most appropriate of the approximately 20 Intel technology experts who will be fielding questions online.

The primary target audience is business IT managers/decision-makers; however, the experts will also field questions/comments from consumers who want to learn about the benefits of having a Nehalem processor in their personal computers.

The application being used by Intel, Eyeblaster's Talkback Ad: Expert Panel, will launch a countdown/alert banner ad one hour prior to the chat time window, letting users know that they will be able to interact directly with Intel experts through the subsequently posted chat banner ads. In addition, for three days prior to the first live chats, Intel ran online ads explaining/promoting the upcoming chat events.

The in-banner live chat sessions are one important element of Intel's overall, intensified '09 marketing focus on online and connecting with end-users via social media in particular (in addition to marketing aimed at Intel's direct IT solution-provider customers), Pam Didner, Intel's global integrated marketing manager, told Marketing Daily. Other end-user marketing elements will include banner advertising, IT community events and online seminars, she reports.

Intel's objectives in engaging in direct conversations with IT decision-makers via the in-banner chats include positioning Intel as a trusted ally/source and building brand affinity/preference, as well as analyzing the transcripts/input both to refine future marketing and provide Intel's design engineers with valuable feedback on features for ongoing product refinement, Didner says.

Intel ran similar in-banner chats last October and has since worked with the creative agency, MRM, and Eyeblaster to enhance the banner applications for the user -- adding the ability to access product information and other videos directly from the banner, for example. The sites/media buys, through Intel agency of record OMD, have also been expanded this go-round, reflecting the importance of the global-reach capability as a driver of the chat initiative.

"Our experience last year confirmed the value of this tool, both because of its global scalability and its ability to engage the very sophisticated B-to-B IT target audience in a meaningful way prior to their purchasing decisions," comments Didner. "The online audience in general is very critical and savvy, and that's even more true for IT managers."

"The basic concept is putting the advertising where people are," adds Dean Donaldson, digital experience strategist at Eyeblaster. "Online advertising effectiveness has suffered because people are asked to go somewhere else to view it -- unlike TV or billboards or other traditional advertising that's a direct engagement experience."

Today's live chats are scheduled in the U.S. market from 1 to 3 p.m. EST.