#SURFACETHEWOMEN
Kategoria: Paras vaikuttajamarkkinointi
Client: Microsoft
Lead agency: Kurio
BACKGROUND
Microsoft has a problem. Studies showed that half of the people in Finland feel the brand isn’t personal, and almost a third that it isn’t inspiring 1. This affects business heavily: almost half the people feel that Microsoft products are less relevant than a year ago.
When the next generation Microsoft Surface devices for creative professionals were launched it was clear that finding a connection with a demanding target audience would be hard.
On top of this we were given a very limited budget of 5,000 EUR and the hardest brief anyone can get from the client: "Only an idea with real viral potential will do."
So we took on the challenge and did the unexpected.
STRATEGY
The approach was found in values shared with the target group. Microsoft core values are diversity and inclusion. The CEO Satya Nadella emphasizes their role in achieving the company’s vision: "Diversity and inclusion is huge. It obviously starts by having a workforce that is diverse, but inclusion is a cultural piece that we all have to work on everyday." 2
The reality In the IT industry is far from that vision. In Finland only 1/5 of the people in IT are women 3. Globally 2/5 of women with engineering degrees either don't enter the field at all or quit soon after 4. 4/5 people can’t name a women influencer in the tech field 5. The topic called for action.
IDEA
So for the International Womens Day, #SurfaceTheWomen was born. A social-first campaign that turned the product name into a call-to-action, and turned the distant giant into a dynamic force for equality.
EXECUTION
We inspired nearly 100 Microsoft staff members to become the faces of the campaign, both on their personal and the company’s social media accounts. They started a discussion that surfaced more women IT influencers to the level of recognition they deserve, offering encouraging examples to younger girls. Upon reaching a set target of social media posts, we supported a local NGO Mimmit Koodaa (i.e. Girls Code) with a donation of Microsoft Surface devices. But above all, we got our most valuable – and challenging – target group discussing about us and sharing our hashtag, at a never-before-seen scale.
It is everywhere."
Even competitors praised it, as here Väinö Leskinen,
Head of Design, Siili Solutions.
RESULTS
More than half the organization as the faces of the campaign.
A first of a kind LinkedIn profile photo movement.
Dozens of leading IT companies joining the cause.
Thousands of conversations about us and our hashtag.
More than 600 women surfaced as IT influencers in a week.
More than 1,5MM people reached organically in a week. That’s 1/3 of the adult population.
From social media, the campaign spread to news, articles, blog posts, etc., including the biggest business media (Kauppalehti) and the leading tech business media (Tekniikka&Talous).
After Finland the campaign spread to all other Nordic markets, without us even knowing it.
A movement was born. And Microsoft Surface was at the center of it.
A WORD FROM OUR CLIENT
"#SurfaceTheWomen is a great example how a campaign with just right elements can really achieve great results. At the turn of the year we were in a situation in which – instead of doing traditional campaigning -- we decided to put our very limited budget into an idea with a potential for viral. This called for internal lobbying, since the approach required the renewal of many traditional ways of working, all at once. It required risk-taking, investing in an idea with as much a chance to fail as to succeed. It required engaging our people widely, breaking the silos both internal and external. It required a lot of trust to believe our message will hit the target group with only the call-to-action of doing good and taking a stand.
Our agency did a great job. We know that the brief wasn’t an easy one. The whole project required a lot of flexibility within a really small budget. As I client I really appreciate how the agency approaches each and every brief of ours with the same professional enthusiasm, despite the monetary constraints. They have the ability to sense the phenomena, that will grow big on social and create concepts for clients based on that insight. This campaign was a great example of that."
– Janina Backlund, Marketing Director, Microsoft Finland
Sources: 1) Microsoft Suomi 2016; 2) LiveMint 12.2.2017; 3) Teknologiateollisuus 2017; 4) Women’s Reasons for Leaving the Engineering Field (Fouad, Chang, Wan & Singh, 2017); 5) Women in Tech: Time to close the gender gap (PwC 2017);
