ABSTRACT
International Business Machines (IBM) is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating back to the nineteenth century. It has been well known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company and systems integrator. The catalyst for Jon Iwata's rise to lead IBM's marketing team worldwide in July 2008, was not about gaining efficiencies, but rather IBM CEO Sam Palmisano was looking to enhance the effectiveness of the function across two aspects: external and internal. Iwata believes that the actual behavior of the company, the culture, and the performance cannot be managed as if they were separate from the outside reality that can be projected through brand management or public relations or advertising. Iwata states, "So one's culture and one's external reputation and brand need to be managed holistically as well". At the corporate level, Iwata and his team pay a lot of attention to the state of the IBM brand.
