IBM: AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Mobile Devices

Advertiser: IBM

Product/Service: IPAD APPLICATION

Agency: OGILVY & MATHER

Date of First Appearance: Jan 17 2011

Entrant Company: OGILVY & MATHER, Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Entry URL: http://workforawards.com/ibm/cannes2011/

Creative Director: Barrie Seppings (Ogilvy & Mather)

Founder: Ben Hoskins (Flink Labs)

Director: Daniel Bradbury (jTribe)

Art Director: Tom Marcusson (Ogilvy & Mather)

Copywriter: Shannon Bell (Ogilvy & Mather)

Account Producer: Leanne Bennett (Steam)

Sponsorship Manager: Sarah Cole (IBM)

Sponsorship Marketing Specialist: Natalie Gray (IBM)

Account Executive: Katie Wong-Hee (Ogilvy & Mather)

Account Manager: Helen Worsey (Ogilvy & Mather)

Account Director: Chloe Siddall (Ogilvy & Mather)

Media placement: IPad Application - Ipad - 17/1/11



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

IBM believes in the idea of a Smarter Planet - that the world can be made to work better through the intelligent application of data-driven systems. Business leaders know IBM as a maker of hardware, but do not grasp how the brand can help them use data to improve business. We leveraged IBM’s sponsorship of the Australian Open, took all the official tournament data and combined it with all the user-generated and open-source data surrounding the event to create a world-first grand slam iPad app. This app brought fans closer to the game in a way they didn’t merely enjoy – they were actually willing to pay for. The idea and execution demonstrated how data can enrich the fan (what Tennis Australia sees as a customer) experience and increase the value of the tournament (what Tennis Australia sees as a product).



Creative Execution

The app used the content from the printed Official Tournament Program as a base, then added a scrolling canvas filled with live, real-time data driven widgets, giving fans fingertip access to match scores, news feeds, highlight videos, Flickr photostreams, celebrity tweet streams, weather updates, ticket sales, match schedules, entertainment lineups, attendance figures and more.

A tournament board visualised all the real-time public twitter streams to create a picture of fan involvement, while a digital scrapbook allowed fans to collect, arrange and share their favourite tournament moments. The highlight for many users turned out to be the digital autograph page, allowing stars to sign with their finger directly on to the iPad screen.

PR and social media were used to create initial awareness, yet the app reached the No 1 position on the paid sports app in the Australian and US iTunes stores within two weeks of going live.



Results and Effectiveness

The app generated not just awareness for the brand (App of the week in both the Australian and US iTunes stores), but in what must be highly unusual for a piece of marketing-driven media, actually generated it’s own revenue stream No 1 position on the paid sports app in the Australian and US iTunes stores for 3 consecutive weeks).

Importantly for IBM, the bulk of the unsolicited media coverage (traditional and social), as well as at-event audience feedback, highlighted the innovative use of data in a business context – an absolutely key objective for this, and indeed every, IBM campaign.