My mandate
Lead integrated campaign management
I connected the launch plan to market execution across digital channels, events, web experiences, nurture, agency delivery, sales and partner enablement, and executive performance reviews.
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IBM Watson Analytics · Emerging-technology commercialization
Turn a new analytics experience into measurable adoption.
Watson Analytics needed more than awareness. People needed to encounter it, register, try it, activate, and experience its value through a coordinated launch and adoption system.
The launch challenge
Bring advanced analytics to a broader audience.
IBM set an initial goal of 10,000 freemium users for a cloud-based, self-service analytics experience. Achieving it required connected digital acquisition, education, events, conversion, enablement, agency delivery, and measurement.
The operating model
Coordinate many teams around one adoption goal
The program brought together product and portfolio teams, IBM events, regional marketers, sellers, business partners, and Ogilvy around milestones, owners, activity targets, registration, and activation.
The activation system
Connect reach, experience, and conversion.
Over approximately three months, the program used a full digital and event mix designed to move people from discovery into hands-on product use.
Digital acquisition
Create repeated opportunities to engage
Paid search, paid social, retargeting, third-party homepage takeovers, content, email nurture, virtual events, and webinars supported the launch.
IBM Insight
Turn a major conference into an adoption moment
Demonstrations, keynote visibility, and on-site promotion generated approximately 1,000 Watson Analytics registrations at the event.
Agency leadership
Protect delivery and investment discipline
I managed challenging Ogilvy interactions to secure required deliverables and improve visibility into retainer spending, helping IBM avoid charges beyond the agreed services.
Employer outcomes
Adoption materially exceeded the original plan.
The integrated launch motion produced strong registration and activation results for the emerging offering.
users against an original goal of 10,000
the original user goal
activation against the program's 30% benchmark
paid-media impressions generated in approximately six weeks
My role: I led integrated campaign management and demand execution for the launch. IBM's product strategy, technology, brand, and total launch involved broader teams. My accountability was translating that work into a coordinated activation and adoption program with measurable outcomes.
The executive pattern
Emerging technology is not commercialized by announcing it.
The market must understand it, encounter it through the right experiences, try it, and reach value quickly. Product innovation needs an adoption system.