Broadcom seeks way to get its message to buyers amidst noise. (Media & Technology).

Broadcom Corp. wants to go public with its image.

The Irvine-based company, long content to let its communications chips do the talking, is in the "early stages" of a branding campaign, said Chief Executive Alan E. "Lanny" Ross.

Broadcom is said to be holding an official review of advertising agencies to spearhead a wider ad campaign.

So far the company only has made small branding moves.

It leased 27,500 square feet of space in a Newport Beach high-rise building adjacent to John Wayne Airport and tacked Broadcom logos on two sides of the building that face the airport runway. The space houses some of Broadcom's computer processing operations.

And the chipmaker has jumped on the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim bandwagon, putting its name on the boards that surround the Arrowhead Pond ice.

With the Ducks playing the New Jersey Devils in hockey's Stanley Cup finals, Broadcom promises to get exposure as ABC and ESPN cameras pan around the rink.

While Broadcom has garnered its share of press coverage through the technology boom -- starting with its blockbuster stock offering in 1998 -- the company never has had much interest in marketing its brand beyond a very technical audience.

Now it's reconsidering.

"We want to get our name out there:' said Ross.

The move comes as the company faces greater competition for its communications chips, a market it once virtually had to itself. Broadcom makes chips for modems, servers, wireless networking gear and set-top boxes.

Big chipmakers such as Texas Instruments Inc. and Intel Corp. increasingly are vying for a piece of those markets.

Many tech companies have benefited from marketing their brand to non-purchasing consumers. The goal: Get everyone thinking and talking about your brands, even if they aren't the actual buyers.

One possibility for Broadcom would be to kick-start a branding effort similar to that of rival Intel, which launched its now-famous "Intel Inside" campaign in 1991.

The branding talk comes as Ross tries to polish Broadcom's image following the high-profile departure of founder and chief executive Henry Nicholas. Ross, who has stepped in as chief executive until a permanent replacement is found, is trying to get the company to communicate better with its customers and the media.