History sometimes forgets those who make the biggest difference. Take Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, women who made significant behind-the-scenes contributions at NASA, but were not properly recognized because of their gender and race. To help Twentieth Century Fox celebrate the release of its new film Hidden Figures, which reveals these overlooked role models, IBM and New York City–based ad agency Ogilvy & Mather created a fully integrated campaign. It was a natural fit for the technology company, whose historical product, a mainframe computer, is embedded in the film’s story.

Through a partnership with Vanity Fair, IBM invited inspiring STEM figures to be interviewed on vanityfair.com and featured in an eight-page photo insert in the magazine. The New York Times’ T Brand Studio also fleshed out an alternate world through the augmented reality (AR) app Outthink Hidden, which uses AR statues as well as content featuring the actresses of Hidden Figures to give long-overdue credit to ten STEM figures forgotten by history. A museum-like booth featured at the annual trade show CES allowed participants to further experience the app and explore the booth’s immersive content, from audio summaries of the women’s stories to holographic light projections of Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson. To round out the experience, a main-stage panel at CES addressed the challenges to achieving diversity in STEM, yet upheld the power of role models to help create such meaningful change.

ogilvy.com