I read with some interest, and, frankly, surprise that Intel and will.i.am are joining forces. They’ve named the rapper “Director of Creative Innovation.” Read the PR Blurb in Daily Finance for the spin on the story.

This is really interesting.  Some quick thoughts:

1. will.i.am is undoubtedly a creative force as an artist. The Black Eyed Peas are monster hit makers and captivating performers. Beyond his hip-hop cred, his song “Yes We Can” used in the video for Obama during the 2008 election was nothing short of inspirational (I just watched it again, tears in my eyes). He’s dabbled in fashion, producing, acting, and more. The man has creative chops, absolutely no doubt. As a symbolic kind of guy for creativity, it would be hard to find someone more qualified than will.i.am (and his self-given name is highly creative — if a bit annoying to type). I wish him luck with the new gig — and wonder how much of his time he’ll spend doing it.

2. The connection of will.i.am to computer chips isn’t so tenuous, will.i.am makes heavy use of technology. Writing this post I became aware of will.i.am’s support for Dean Kamen’s FIRST robotics competition. It’s clear this guy is more than just a musician, he has vision, and he seeks to make a contribution.

3. Side note: Intel is coming off a highly profitable quarter.  Is this when corporate thinking begins to expand beyond the usual?

4. I find the appointment to be a great PR move, but I wonder, beyond music will.i.am will make for them, what real impact it will have. The man is too busy touring and recording to take a hands-on role of any kind (my assumption).

5. The title of Creative Director of Innovation is redundant, but I can guess why they gave it to him. He couldn’t be Director of Innovation — that would require him to quit the music industry. “Creative Innovation” is essentially saying what they want from him is that “artistic” beat/spin he can bring to Intel.  Give this title to anyone else and I’d say it was just redundant — Innovation has to be creative (as in ‘novelty that’s useful’), or it’s not innovation. A better title might have been: Director of Inspiration for Innovation.

6. I’m sure will.i.am can inspire — the man has got soul and he knows how to communicate.  What I’m not sure about is if he can teach anything like creativity to Intel’s engineers and marketeers. Artists typically have a very organic, and personal, creative process. Translating that talent into something everyone can use is a difficult thing to do. Structured creative process (as I’ve written about in Jack’s Notebook), which is required in innovation process, is a different animal than unstructured artistic process. Still, nothing wrong with bringing a bit of artistic process into what might be a stifling structured process at Intel — perhaps this is their goal.

7. Probably should have said this first, but kudos to Intel for making an interesting move. The fact that it’s not boring, all by itself, makes it a success at one level. It will be interesting to see how this actually plays out over time. I’ll be watching!

NEWS FLASH:  Snoop Dog just named Head of Creative Innovation at Proctor & Gamble. (Sadly, Not)