IBM CLIENT ADVOCACY

DESCRIPTION

As an initiative, IBM Client Advocacy was suffering from the perception that IBM, the enterprise, wasn’t really listening to feedback. The real enemy was apathy, amplified by a deep sense of skepticism and resentment for what clients perceived to be empty gestures — even forgetfulness — when it came to resolution. Rejuvenating the IBM Client Advocacy story meant creating a culture of client growth by reintroducing both IBMers and IBM clients to the global architecture of platforms and advocates hard at work gathering and taking action on feedback.

ROLE

I was the creative lead for this project. Working along a copywriter, art director, videographer and the account department, we were able to deliver quality work that we feel proud of and at the same time exceeded clients expectations.

VISUAL LANGUAGE

At heart, the focus is on empathy, authenticity, and action. The story would be told through interconnected assets featuring a new and own-able tone, look and feel, under parent guidelines of IBM.

IBM Client Advocacy is an entirely unique business unit, building brand and driving sales without selling products. So, an alternate color palette was chosen. Each color tells its part of their whole story. Blue was chosen as the core campaign color, reflecting the IBM parent brand but in a tone that emphasizes the empathy behind the initiative. The pink, teal, and purple tones represent the specific focus areas of IBM Client Advocacy efforts driven by feedback, from pervasive internal improvements to solution innovations and strengthening relationships.

By creating assets where none existed or unifying disparate messages under one signal, we bridged the internal, enterprise-wide audience of IBMers with IBM clients around the world. Here’s how each asset, with its own value, purpose and strategic placement, tells the big story: Feedback matters. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social assets were strategically developed to amplify the advocacy message by driving users to through the overarching story, both internally on the IBM intranet and externally on global social channels.

LANDING PAGE

A new landing page on IBM.com provides a closer look at how the award-winning advocacy drives client success on a global scale, giving the initiative a place to call home as the story evolves.

The Success Stories, true tales of advocacy achievements told from both sides. Tough feedback inspires action that leads to ongoing growth across pervasive-, product- and hero-focused stories.

NON-TRADITIONAL MEDIA

Beyond digital, we wanted IBM Client Advocacy to feel real. Tangible assets like the handbook, which tells the advocacy story from cover to cover, enable sales teams to share something their clients can hold onto, while stickers and postcards let IBMers share their support internally.

RESULTS

On-going growth. What began as a new narrative continues to evolve. We continue breaking paradigms, connecting IBMers with IBM clients and making sure the world knows that, at IBM, feedback matters.