Prudential + IBM: A Backstage Pass to Innovation

⁤Culture Jam was a three-day, online collaborative event geared towards uncovering insights about Prudential's company culture. ⁤⁤It connected thousands of employees—regardless of hierarchy or geographical location—to brainstorm solutions to current business and societal challenges. ⁤⁤By leveraging the power of IBM Watson, we were able to glean meaningful insights to inform a more inclusive company culture. ⁤

As creative director, I came up with this imaginative concept which drove our highest employee engagement and received glowing reception from the entire organization—including leadership.

PROBLEM
Our goal was to engage Prudential's 20,000 U.S. employees, including those in remote and satellite offices. How can we inspire employees to actively (and candidly) participate in a 3-day, online event?

SOLUTION
I developed the concept of mimicking a music festival, which introduced energy and edge to the campaign. Employees were treated as VIPs and were invited to participate in this ‘exclusive’ event experience.

EXECUTION
The event kicked off with a live ‘culture festival’ at Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, NJ — complete with a DJ, dance party, games, swag, and computers for employee registration. Remote sites received a 'Jam-in-a-box' to ensure a similarly festive kick-off.

OUTCOMES
Culture Jam registered over 10,219 employees with an 85% login rate and 45% participation—surpassing IBM’s benchmarks. It became Prudential’s most engaging employee event, with its success showcased in a campaign results video.