Let’s build a smarter planet.
The image in this first keyframe is the IBM Rebus. Paul Rand cooked it up. But we were the first creatives to use it instead of the IBM logo in television. It represents so much about what we wanted for the brand – a focus on design, wit, and emotion.
A few months ago, IBM was awarded an Effie 5 for 50 (along with Dove, Mastercard, Nike, and Apple).
Our contribution to the brand begins at 1:55.
A new look for an established brand.
We asked, “If Paul Rand was a 27-year-old designer living in Brooklyn, what would he do?” Thinking this way helped IBM go from looking like Fortune Magazine to WIRED magazine.
Smarter Planet set a new agenda for the company, both internally and externally. IBM’s pragmatic optimism in the face of 2008’s challenges even caught the attention of the Obama administration.
We showed how data is changing the way people work – and how it’s changing the way the world works.
IBM has more PhDs than any organization on earth. So we introduced the world to the IBMer. Who better to explain why data matters?
100% practical, in-camera effects.
The IBMer is real.
We made complex ideas around new technology seem pretty simple.
Data even changes the way we think about sports, which our audience seems to enjoy.
Sometimes the smartest person in the room doesn’t give all the answers, but asks smart questions. Looking at you, IBM.
Just because it’s B2B advertising, doesn’t mean it has to look like B2B advertising. Shout out to photographer Jake Chessum.
If you’d like to see another couple hundred examples of IBM’s Smarter Planet work, we’d be happy to share.
Recognition:
We aren’t the best at keeping track of these things, but the agency says Smarter Planet’s total haul during our time on the brand is:
Cannes Lions: 33
Effies: 32
One Show: 48
D&AD: 23, including the Black Pencil for most-awarded brand.
AICP: 6, including the Most Next Award
Clios: 12
London International Awards: 18
Webbys: 13
ADC: 2
Ted Ads Worth Spreading: 1
CA: 4
FWA: 2
Guinness World Records: 1