IBM - Let's create
Background
111-year-old IBM had lost relevance with the tech community. Seen as a behemoth of a bygone era, their vision of the future was no longer resonating with tech audiences.
This wasn’t something that could be solved by putting Watson back on Jeopardy. Reversing IBM’s relevance problem meant changing the minds of jaded tech leaders. We needed to connect with them on their terms.
The BRief
A brand platform that could drive radical reappraisal among jaded enterprise tech purchasers. We needed to convince them that IBM was positioned for where the industry was headed, not where it’s been.
Audience
The CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and IT decision makers at the world’s largest companies.
They had just led a massive pandemic-era digital transformation. They proved that innovative—not merely incremental—technology is the driving force that keeps their business nimble.
But everyone else–from colleagues to vendors–still act like their job Mr. and Ms. Fix-it. To unplug the router, and then plug it.
Insight
When everyone has access to the same technology, business growth comes from imagination, not just iteration.
What tech leaders craved more than anything was someone to help collaborate with them to implement their visions. They didn’t need a problem solver or a savior, they needed a true partner to help bring their visions to life.
A partner that could help them find success through creativity. Who could help them push against step-and-repeat promises.
Counterintuitively, in order to truly stand out in the category, IBM had to step back from the spotlight. Stop selling IBM’s vision of technological progress, and start showing how we can unlock our audience’s full potential by recognizing and co-creating theirs.
Strategic approach
Let’s create.
Together, let’s show the business world what the creative minds inside every company can accomplish.
Creative Idea
To cement IBM’s reinvention, we couldn't show up as Big Blue anymore. “Let’s create” showcases the new, more modern, and approachable IBM.
We started at the genesis of every great creative idea with prompts like "what if?" and "let's create…" Each campaign element added dimension to our core thesis: using technology to solve business problems is, in fact, an act of creativity.
The platform is an open invitation. Which is exactly how we launched: by inviting our audience to tell us what they wanted to create together.
Then we reinvented the traditional B2B case study, tossing out all the forgettable metrics, infographics, and jargon-laden testimonials.
To shift perceptions among an audience that still thought of IBM as paternalistic Big Blue, we showed IBM’s partnership and co-creation in action. We upended the dry & boring tropes of the category: “we have what you need, we do it best.”
And we championed our audience by making them the center of our campaign. When THINK, IBM’s cornerstone thought-leadership conference, returned to in-person events this year, we did more than invite our audience to show up. We brought them on stage. We made movie trailers and posters: heroizing, celebrating, and recognizing their unique abilities.
Results
Our campaign’s effect on IBM has been immediate and significant.
Ad recall hit a four-year high, surpassing not just IBM historical campaigns, but our competitors
We drove 10%+ lifts in top-of-mind consideration among both prospects and current customers
Purchase intent among prospects nearly doubled to 33% in under a year
And crucially, we helped drive three quarters (and counting!) of revenue growth for IBM, only the second time earnings increased back-to-back in ten years.
Awards
2022 Effie (Silver) - Corporate Reputation
2022 Warc Awards (Shortlist)
