IBM
Building a Global Employer Brand
With over 100 years in the business and almost 350,000 people in 178 countries, there’s no doubt about IBM’s scale. But with great size and experience comes many challenges. IBM felt like they weren’t getting the right talent for three core reasons: they’re seen as impersonal, too big and too dated.
We knew that so much of the story at IBM wasn’t being told. So we needed an authentic employer brand that could speak multiple languages, and support the global and local IBM story – speaking to individual motivations and putting the IBMer at the forefront of it all.
Trying to understand a global brand during covid was a barrier we needed to overcome. So, rather than focusing only on where we could travel to, through a virtual-led research plan, the whole world of IBM was opened up to us. From interviewing with over 70 IBMers on 6 continents to gathering over 100,000 current and former IBMers opinions, including talent acquisition surveys, exit survey data, and early talent insight. We found three ways to cut through IBM’s complexity: hone in on the IBMer, make sure it resonates, and prioritise diversity.
To show that everyone at IBM has a voice, we gave IBMers the reins to choose what defines them. To do this, we developed “I AM IBM'' alongside the IBM Brand. But we also created a series of self-shot photos from IBMers and launched a video and careers site. We also created a social media campaign: Everyday Influencers. This was a series of video profiles chosen through public engagement on Instagram, where IBMers and their achievements were put in the spotlight.
This brought authenticity and empowerment to IBMers – creating a welcoming face of the company by showcasing individuals and their achievements.
Together, we updated over 184 external career sites, making the experience feel local to the candidate. An amazing 373 users from 31 countries also registered to the Employer Brand Academy on Your Learning, supporting our push for localisation. The Everyday Influencer campaign, achieved 1,244 Instagram post engagements, 500 average Reels interactions and 3x more views than average. The results showcase the power of authenticity and putting IBMers at the forefront.