Some projects stay with you, and not because of the recognition, but because of how they made people feel.
In 2022, I had the privilege of being part of the IBM Global Marketing Center (GMC) —a truly special community delivering end-to-end marketing services at a global scale—Ambassadors team in Romania and we received a Golden Award for Excellence for Internal Communications Campaigns at the Romanian PR Award, one of the most respected recognitions in our industry.
But for me, the real achievement was never the award as much as what we built together. Coming out of the pandemic, like many organizations, we were navigating more than just operational change. Remote work and internal restructuring had quietly affected how connected people felt—to their teams, to the organization, and to each other.
The“Random Acts of Kindness” initiative, created by a group of passionate volunteer IBM Ambassadors that I proudly was a part of, started as a simple idea: what if we could rebuild connection through small, consistent acts of recognition? This thought became a 21-week journey—each week with a new theme (such as “data ninja”, “the storyteller”, “change champion” and more), a new reason to notice and celebrate one another. The mechanism was that each week everyone got the chance to nominate someone for the theme of the week, as long as the nomination came with a justification. Winners were selected with randon.org and both nominee and nominator got a reward. The reasons for nomination were then shared through different internal channels as incentives and recognition.
And something powerful happened.
- Over 450 nominations were submitted
- More than half of the organization participated
- Engagement didn’t just recover—it meaningfully improved
But beyond the numbers, what mattered was the feeling. People started seeing each other again not just as colleagues—but as contributors, supporters, and individuals worth celebrating.
My role in the campaign was to help give that experience a voice and a rhythm by:
- writing the weekly messages that kept the energy alive
- announcing winners and turning small moments into shared celebrations
- creating copy for banners and posters that people saw every day
- working closely with design, publishing, and operations to make sure everything’s in place for the week
It may sound simple—but consistency turned intention into impact. Looking back, I realize this project was more than a campaign. It was one of those rare moments where everything aligned and a challenge that could have disconnected people transformed into something that brought them closer. It felt like watching a vision come to life—one message, one story, one act of kindness at a time.
And it reaffirmed something I deeply believe: When communication is intentional, human, and consistent—it doesn’t just inform. It connects. It builds culture. It creates belonging. I’m profoundly grateful for the team, the people, the experience, and the impact it created both inside the organization and outside of it, demonstrating the excellent marketing abilities of IBM’s Global Marketing Center.
And for the reminder that sometimes, the smallest actions have the biggest impact.
