IBM SkillsBuild set out to give STEM education access to people of color through a STEM personality test - the Tech Type Quiz - resulting in personalized online courses generated by AI. People of color make up a small percentage of the STEM workforce, and this campaign proved that there's a place for everyone in STEM, with the right tools and access.

SpecialGuest designed the first-ever STEM personality test with IBM to show underrepresented adults that everyone has a place in STEM and guide them towards IBM SkillsBuild online courses.

Serving marginalized communities, the personality quiz matched specific interests to specific tech skills. To reach an audience curious about STEM, SpecialGuest created a mobile-optimized quiz and distributed it through strategic partnerships with influential content creators like Zahra Hashimee and Forbes 30 under 30 awardee, Astro Alexandra. Each creator was selected because of their diverse background and relevancy in a specific area or expertise in science, technology, engineering or math. The initiative utilizes major social channels, especially TikTok and Instagram, to jumpstart a movement dedicated to addressing the pervasive issue of underrepresentation in STEM.

IBM tasked Special Guest to make STEM accessible to marginalized groups of people who wouldn't traditionally pursue a career in the field and direct them to IBM learning resource center, SkillsBuild.

In order to reach marganlized communities, SpecialGuest devized a three part initiative to foster interest in STEM.

1. Develop an accessible personality quizz that were popular on social media

2. Partner with diverse STEM creators to combat imposter syndrome and show the varied backgrounds of professionals in STEM

3. Direct an audience to additional resources, where they could learn more, foster interest, and build skills with IBM

The quiz was designed in collaboration with IBM STEM experts, with the objective of matching user personalities to actual careers in the field of STEM.

The quiz guides individuals toward specific "tech types" while tapping into the innate human desire to explore and understand more about themselves. This personalized, fun approach enhanced the accessibility and appeal of STEM education, breaking down barriers by tailoring the learning experience to individuals’ preferences and needs.

At the end of the quiz, participants would receive a tech personality type linked to specific roles and jobs within STEM best suited to their personality. Emails captured from the campaign and quiz unlocked access to IBM’s comprehensive learning hub, IBM SkillsBuild, a free online platform to teach young minds about STEM.

This campaign outperformed similar education and tech content by 3x, receiving a 5.15% average engagement rate from social media posts. This was a combination of the novel STEM quizz and careful selection of influencer and content distribution.

Per Hootsuite's January 2024 report:

- Education posts typically receive an average Instagram engagement rate of 1.56% or 0.52% on TikTok

- Technology posts typically receive an average Instagram engagement rate of 1.25% or 0.44% on TikTok

There was over 50% conversion from social media influencer post engagement to taking the quiz, and over 80% (25.8% higher than benchmark) of quiz takers completed the quiz.

The campaign Cost per Impression (CPM) was $16.12, better than external benchmarks, which range between $20 and $50+, per Influencity.com.

Since the campaign launch, over 100,000 people have taken the quiz, with over a 10% conversion rate to sign up on IBM SkillsBuild from the quiz landing page.