IBMs DIGITAL INFLUENCE

PROGRAM
This case-study is wrote by Asha Kaul and Varun Thappa, and published by
Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, Canada
on 16th April, 2013.
Core purpose of this program was to use social media to increase the share of voice
and reach of IBMs five software brands: Rational, WebSphere, Tivoli, Lotus and
Information Management. This program was conceptualized in fall of 2009 and
launched in 2010. IBM hired Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) to make strategy and rum
this program. Initially Ogilvy & Mather planned for eight months with 75 subject
matter expert to developing a strategy.
They found that although IBM had established Facebook pages, Twitter profiles
and YouTube videos but couldnt attract sufficient attention of general public. They
decided to discuss IBMs five software brands on blogs to increase share of voice.
They selected internal as well as external bloggers for this task. In the year 2010/
11, 250 blogs were written by 25 expert bloggers about these five software brands.
The blogs proved a booster for software brands and attracted too much attention of
general public. In August 2011, analysis were showing a favorable picture for
IBM. According to Trend analysis, share increase in percentage for each brand is as
follow:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Lotus: 1933%
Information Management: 421.8%
WebSphere: 82.8%
Tivoli: 40%

5.

Rational: 23%.