• by August 25, 2008

Giving its workers a rock star image was a stroke of marketing brilliance, but the even smarter cross-platform execution touched live events, microsites, viral elements and user-generated content to hit the core marketing goal: keeping contact info for tens of thousands of WebSphere developers and it managers current in an e-mail database. ibm pulled them in with photo booths at events and online; participants could even put their faces on themed music magazine covers - tied into ibm products - and e-mail them to friends. The viral campaign generated 900 opt-ins, bringing ibm customers back into contact with the brand by recognizing the user's value in the enterprise and engaging some selfdeprecating geek humor.