SAM MAZUR 💥
CREATIVE DIRECTOR + COPYWRITER
IBM sets the standard for B2B on social.
Each year IBM spends over $6 billion in R&D and earns more patents than any other US company. But with its days of selling personal computers long behind, the tech giant became practically invisible to modern audiences. Enter IBMblr (IBM on Tumblr): IBM’s greatest achievements and innovation secrets repackaged as content designed to be shared. I led this proactive social experiment for three years and 800+ posts, going from 0 to 100+ million impressions.
Press: Fast Company, The Verge, HBR, Adweek, Digiday, Gizmodo.
Awards: Cannes Lions Silver+ Bronze, Webby x2, Clio Bronze
IBM
IBMblr / DESIGNED TO BE SHARED
MEDIA
Activation/Social/Editorial/Branded Content
ROLE
Concept/Creative Direction/Copywriting/Editor
AGENCY
Ogilvy New York
“IBMblr is a definitive example of what happens when
a brand dares to think boldly.” –TED
“This is freakin’ cool!” – David Karp, Tumblr Founder
Good reads →
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Go Behind the Lab Doors
To celebrate 20 straight years of earning the most patents of any US company, IBMblr transformed archival footage, patent documents and interviews with engineers into a variety of inspirational quotes, inventor tips, short films and news-breaking patent announcements.
So long, silicon chip? This innovation for one-atom thick graphene transistors can transmit electrical pulses 1,000 times faster than silicon. That could give a jolt to the rate that our computers and electronics improve — and uphold Moore’s Law for decades to come. See the newly-awarded Patent No.8,344,358.
A Boy And His Atom
The ability to move single atoms — the smallest particles of any element in the universe — is crucial to IBM’s research in atomic memory. But even nanophysicists need to have a little fun. In that spirit, IBM researchers used a scanning tunneling microscope to move thousands of atoms, all in pursuit of making a movie so small it can only be seen when you magnify it 100 million times. A movie made with atoms.
13 of 242 frames from the world’s smallest movie.
A Boy And His Atom . Now Playing ➝
If good things come in small packages, then nothing compares to this valentine made by IBMers with just a handful of atoms.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Watson after Jeopardy!
Born in the research lab. Tested on Jeopardy! IBM Watson is now at work in the real world. And IBMblr was there to make sense of it all, giving people a first glimpse at the dawn of the cognitive computer age, years before artificial intelligence exploded into our daily lives.
Watson, the decision whisperer
At the rate you hear the words “big data’ and ‘analytics” thrown around these days, you might think everyone was using them. And sadly you’d be wrong. In reality, most business folks leave insights out of their decisions because the tools to extract them are too complicated. Here’s a new name to drop. IBM Watson Analytics. Using natural language and a keyboard, anyone can go mining data for instant insights. Just ask your question and Watson can help guide you through answers. No fancy statistics degree required.
“There are a lot of new areas to tackle in the technology space, and in the industries and types of problems we tackle. I really believe we are just scratching the surface, and I can’t wait to see what Watson will transform next.”
INSIDE THE INVENTIVE MIND
Leanne LeBlanc
Product Manager
IBM Watson Solutions
Keeping up with the quirks, dialects and double meanings of English is a daunting task for any brain, let alone an electronic one. But with its uncanny ability to understand our tweets, comments and articles, IBM Watson can catch your drift and hit you back with the straight 411.
Technologistas
They are the sirens of supercomputers. The princesses of patents. The empresses of invention. They are technologistas – leaders in innovation since IBM’s early days. And to celebrate women in tech, IBMblr shared their insights and achievements all month long.
“Keep an open mind and don’t go down a rabbit hole. Solve the things you can solve instead of beating your head against the wall about things you can’t control.”
INSIDE THE INVENTIVE MIND:
Clea Zolotow
IBM Senior Technical Staff Member, 6 patents
Innovation through PLAY!
From LASIK eye surgery to IBM’s Deep Blue, many innovations can be traced back to the playful spirit of its inventor. IBMblr held a monthlong romp, with play-driven innovations, experiments, anecdotes, and quotes. It all fed a Play Machine that reinterpreted IBMblr social data into the physical world with lasers, popcorn, and hatchets. All live on camera, right in front of your eyes.
The PLAY Experiments | No. 1
Play gets your inventive juices flowing. Helping even old dogs learn new tricks. Like Mr. Pickle here. With the help of some Play and 130 volts of electricity, it just learned to act like a lamp.
Opening the IBM Vault
It’s been over a century since IBM was a start-up, so IBMblr dusted off a trove of design and tech artifacts for public view. From a look back at the 1964 World’s Fair to examining Selectric typewriters, IBM’s perpetual state of reinvention is a fascinating exhibit of human progress.
Ooo La La IBM, circa 1957
More than a half century after introducing the IBM 704 to France, this vintage ad has a certain design joie de vivre.
Tik-tik-tikka-tik-tik-tik-tikka-tik-tik…fffffffffft…tik-tik-tik-tikka-tik-tik-tikka…fffffffffft…tik-tik-tik-tikka-tik—Ding!
💻 IBM Japan in 15 Seconds 📚
Here’s your crash course on IBM Japan. In 1925, a tableware manufacturer installed the first IBM tabulating machine. In 1973, Leo Esaki won the Nobel Prize in Physics for electron tunneling. In 1982, the Tokyo Research Lab opened. In 1992, the ThinkPad700C was released. And now, in 2015, IBM’s teaming up with Apple in Japan to create an elderly-friendly iPad. We’re out of time, but rest assured, the goods are still being churned out. Class dismissed.
Solar Racing.
When IBM technology helped the University of Michigan chase the sun in their quest to win the World Solar Challenge in Australia, IBMblr was there for the thrilling, zero-emission racing action.
Science of Solar Racing
Cognitive On Board
When it comes to solar racing in the Outback, the University of Michigan team can’t possibly recall every small atmospheric occurrence from recent history: which is a shame because that kind of information makes for 30% more accurate forecasts. That’s why they’re joining forces with IBM scientists to outthink the other drivers all the way to that glorious finish line. The cognitive system will make recommendations—to slow down, speed up, or stay still–derived not only from the current and future forecasts but also from previous weather. Makes perfect sense, really. Don’t all important decisions require careful consideration of the past?
Science of Solar Racing
The World races. Earth wins!
Why would one of the biggest innovation companies in the world spend its time and treasure to help a bunch of solar savvy students race across the Australian Outback? The reason is simple. By taking its solar forecasting and cognitive technologies out of the research lab and onto the World Solar Challenge raceway, IBM scientists and engineers will be able to start learning from these extreme experiences to better normalize solar power into a dependable part of our electrical energy grid. That could mean less fossil fuels, less carbon emissions and less money spent on your energy bill. It’s a win-win-win.
“It’s important to push the limits of science because at a more basic level, it defines what makes us special. Every time a new feat, or discovery or invention is made, the realm of what used to be fantasy expands a little bit more.”
INSIDE THE INVENTIVE MIND
Arnold Kadiu
University of Michigan
Aurum Engineering Director, Crew Chief
“A compelling mix of snippets that convey the company's passion
for innovation in a dynamic and charming way.”
– Harvard Business Review
”Most Stalked Brand” – TrackMaven Top 20
“A Tumblr that does the impossible. It makes learning complex
subjects fun through animated visuals and GIFs.”
– Search Engine Journal
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