Setting the Stage: IBM Canada was looking for a strategy to connect in sales conversations with current and potential clients in the retail vertical. Rather than communicating on a technical level, IBM wanted to focus on the customer experience and the creation of brand advocates. Specifically, IBM wanted to connect with retailers in a memorable, but also highly strategic way.

Playing our Part: We created a b2b customer acquisition campaign, integrating viral video, a web destination and live event support. The core of our strategy involved the creation of a fictional "retail experi-expert" Dr. Dash Walmsly, who along with his sidekick Hewitt serve as a comedic foil to IBM's retail experience expertise. The idea was to draw in the target audience by leveraging their shared experience, and by spoofing the many questionable gurus and absurd strategies often encountered in retail consulting. After laughing along at some of these over-the-top conceits, the audience was primed to explore IBM's retail tools and services. At IBM's "Retail as Theatre" event, live appearances by Dash Walmsly added spice to an expert panel discussion and feedback forum on creating powerful customer experiences.