A culture of experimentation: How data drives creativity at IBM Consulting

For marketers looking to elevate their strategies, today’s guest has some advice: before focusing on technology, ensure your data foundation is strong. With the right data in place, everything from AI-driven insights to compelling storytelling becomes not only possible but exponentially more effective.

In the most recent episode of the Marketer’s Alchemy podcast, our host sits down with Ari Sheinkin, the Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Consulting, to discuss his career journey, IBM’s data-first marketing principle and the evolving role of data in decision-making.

About the guest: Ari Sheinkin, CMO at IBM Consulting

Ari Sheinkin’s journey to IBM wasn’t conventional. He started his career in independent filmmaking, but over time realized that his true passion lay at the intersection of art and science. This realization led him to IBM, where he spent a decade in consulting before transitioning into sales and ultimately marketing. Despite never intending to become a marketer, he found that marketing allowed him to merge creativity with analytical thinking—combining the storytelling skills of a filmmaker with the precision of a data scientist.

Ari currently works as a data-driven growth leader serving as the CMO of IBM Consulting – a $20B business with 160,000 employees operating in 170 countries. He leads all aspects of the global marketing and communications from product marketing to media, to digital, to events – his efforts helping culminate in an over $100B annual demand. Prior to his marketing roles, Ari spent a decade consulting with companies across industries and government agencies on the strategic application of analytics for business growth. 

What’s inside this episode

Marketing success starts with structured, reliable data. In this discussion, Ari cautions against prioritizing technology over data quality. As an example, IBM’s focus on refining its data before implementing major MarTech solutions has led to stronger measurement, optimization and AI-driven insights. 

Cracking the code on buying groups

IBM Consulting deals with highly complex B2B sales, where purchasing decisions often involve 17 or more stakeholders. Understanding these dynamics is critical, and IBM has uncovered a powerful insight: if they engage at least four members of a buying group within 60 days, conversion rates increase fourfold.

This discovery, known as the "Four-Plus Model," has transformed IBM’s approach to marketing. Instead of focusing on broad outreach, they prioritize deep engagement with key decision-makers within target accounts. This nuanced understanding of buying groups has given IBM a competitive edge, and Ari believes the implications extend beyond B2B to areas like consumer decision-making as well.

Revolutionizing B2B marketing measurement

Traditional marketing platforms like Adobe and Salesforce are often designed with B2C transactions in mind, where success is measured in direct conversions. However, IBM’s consulting business demands a different approach. Their new performance measurement model assesses engagement across multiple stakeholders within an account, ensuring they’re reaching the right people in the right way.

By shifting from a transactional mindset to a relationship-driven approach, IBM is refining the science behind buying group engagement. Ari believes the industry has yet to fully crack this complexity, but IBM is at the forefront of finding solutions.

A creative application of data in action

IBM is not just using data for backend analytics—it’s applying it in innovative, real-world marketing campaigns. One such example is a campaign currently running in New York’s Grand Central Station, leveraging real-time data insights to create highly targeted messaging for commuters. While IBM’s marketing traditionally operates on a quarter-to-quarter basis, this campaign showcases how data can be used dynamically to connect with audiences in meaningful ways.

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