At Arm, our work is more than designing microchips to power the world's greatest innovations. We know something as dually simple and complex as a line of code or a microprocessor can change lives for the better. We wanted to find a way to share how Arm's technology is foundational. From smartphones and fitness trackers to coding devices that create exponential potential to reinvent how we live, we are on the road to a world powered by 1 trillion connected devices by 2035. Given the rate of acceleration with technological advancements, and with 100 billion processors anticipated for distribution in the next four years alone, it's easy to focus on what's coming, rather than celebrate the creation underway today. Arm's foundational technology touches 70% of the world's population, yet outside of Silicon Valley, these blueprints that are embedded into our culture and connected world are largely unknown by name. We are less familiar with the people behind the tech – those building solutions to change our world for the better – than the tangible end-products. Leveraging Arm's 26-year heritage in IP and the pivotal role played in shaping tomorrow's technological advancements, we wanted to raise awareness of the possibilities enabled by Arm by shining a light on today's innovators. Challenged to reach audiences outside of our core (silicon partners, chip connoisseurs) – and to showcase work already taking place in the field – we aimed to create a campaign to highlight the benefits of tech innovation in a relatable way.
Made Possible is a celebration of those that dare to dream; it's an homage to the people that use technology to explore the boundaries of possible. We knew we didn't need to look far to find those harnessing foundational elements to build our present, and in turn our future.
Advancements in technology are typically born out of two complementary factors: the technology itself, and the desire by the creator to achieve something great. Leveraging this insight and the central role of the individual, the recipe for our Made Possible narrative was established to ensure a split focus with 30% on the innovative technology powered by Arm, and 70% on the human story.
We started our research by identifying our featured product. We landed on the BBC micro:bit, a handheld, fully programmable computer given free to every Year 7 student across the UK, with a US pilot program and additional international initiatives in the works. Built on Arm, micro:bit was a timely product to showcase to establish audience relatability given access in market and the prevalence of coding conversations.
While the technology is the base element of our narrative, ensuring we could identify a story subject that would allow us to celebrate the outcome of what technology could enable was paramount.
For our inaugural film, we shared the story of 11-year-old Femi Owolade-Coombes, a young inventor from South London who discovered coding at age 8. After being introduced to the micro:bit, he realized that what he enjoyed the most about coding was the ability to share his knowledge with others. Understanding that technology can open doors and with a desire to help unlock his generation of coders, Femi applied himself through teaching workshops for kids and adults across the UK, and even Crowdfunded a trip to Bangladesh to teach young people from low-income families how to code – introducing a world of possibilities for his peers.
Femi's inspirational story, capped by his natural enthusiasm, demonstrates not only the possibilities afforded by technology today, but highlights how even at a young age, technology can present opportunities to make a tangible impact on society.
Released in November 2017, the resonance of Femi's journey – Made Possible by Arm – was validated through the positive performance with both core and new audiences on Arm's channels. With 5.1 million impressions and 1.5 million engagements in the first month live, our Made Possible content generated 6x greater organic reach and 35x greater engagements than Arm's average.
With 1.3M video views across channels, our Made Possible film surpassed Arm's channel averages for views on Twitter (29x) and Facebook (22x).
Word of mouth conversation peaked at 1.03 million in reach, with comments across owned channels overwhelmingly positive and supportive, demonstrating successful execution of an emotive narrative.
The appetite to celebrate Femi's achievements – and the ambition of the inventors of today – was made clear. It's the possibilities that drive us – they get us up early in the morning and keep us going long into the night.
While it's natural to focus on the trajectory of technology, the work being done now is what primes us for future successes. Made Possible will continue to shine a light on the stories of today's innovators which, until now, haven't been told.
