Inside IBM’s $100 Million Digital Marketing Investment
Turning the corner and putting its money where its mouth is, IBM is doing more than just talking about the power and potential of digital marketing. The iconic tech visionary is making an ample investment.
Ahead of the weekend, IBM confirmed in a statement provided to MMW that its latest efforts will result in the addition of 1,000 new employees – labor essential to meet what IBM calls the “global demand for data driven experiences.”
All told, IBM is devoting $100 million to the robust expansion of its Interactive Experience data and design consulting unit.
The investment, we’re told, will allow IBM to cultivate create new, personalized models of engagement through data and design.
“There’s no longer any real distinction between business strategy and the design of the user experience,” says Bridget van Kralingen, Senior Vice President of IBM Global Business Services. “The last best experience that anyone has anywhere, becomes the minimum expectation for the experience they want everywhere, and the quality of that experience is entirely dependent on the use of individualized information.”
In addition to the 10 new labs and four existing locations (in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto) IBM says its clients can partner with IBM Interactive Experience teams in IBM Research Labs in 12 locations around the world to “personalize their every interaction with consumers.”
Along with the new facilities, IBM also unveiled new data-driven innovations from IBM Interactive Experience that help business leaders gain deeper insights into individuals and “transform the way customers experience their products, services and brands.”
- Intelligent Customer Profiles is an analytics-driven solution that enables consumers to directly manage the personal information companies use to provide them services.
- Influence Analysis is an analytical approach that goes beyond basic social media influencer scoring to identify individuals who influence other consumers related to a specific topic.
- Customer Identity Resolution is a rules-based matching toolkit that helps enterprises build a broader understanding of who their customers are by connecting information across different data sources such as customer relationship management (CRM) records, social media accounts and other profile information.
“As our clients recalibrate what it means to engage with their customers or employees,” van Kralingen adds, “we’re bringing them the full spectrum of world-class design and IBM Research, book-ended by strategy consulting and our strength in Big Data.”
