CA’s ongoing corporate social responsibility initiative is a commitment to helping close the STEM skills gap by increasing computer science access and participation levels among women, girls, and people of color. In order to make STEM accessible and fulfill this responsibility, the company needed to demonstrate it was actively removing barriers between ideas and outcomes for these individuals.

The solution we came up with was STEM10—a 10-part sharable series of short digital films that highlight how the next great thinker can come from anywhere—which positions CA as a brand that is committed to championing a world of diversity. The STEM10 series introduces 10 young innovators, such as Alexis Lewis, Jaden Smith, and Rodney Williams, who are breaking barriers in various STEM fields. At the heart of our Big Idea is an even bigger one: The world’s biggest problems can be solved by any of us.

We created our 10-part short-film series to, basically, dismantle the coding crowd’s white-male-in-a-hoodie stereotype. Each of our five-minute videos introduces viewers to a next-generation leader and showcases an influencer who has used STEM tools to tackle real-world issues such as poverty, disaster preparedness, and Alzheimer’s.

We wanted STEM10 to reach Millennial and Generation Z audiences—future STEM talent. To introduce the world to CA’s cause and amplify the mission’s reach, we collaborated with influencers such as Amy Poehler and her Smart Girls site and organizations such as Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that aims to increase the number of women in computer science. We designed a trailer and a dedicated website/landing page for the series and promoted the vids with a multi-channel, paid media campaign that included social media, partnerships with influencers, and Facebook Live Q&As. The #NoBarriers hashtag made every STEM10 aspect searchable and easy to follow.

STEM10 received more than 50 million impressions since its October 2017 launch, which accounts for more than half of all American millennials. The videos were viewed 25 million times and there were more than 360,000 social media interactions. STEM10 subjects shared content with their massive followings. Female-driven videos have received 54% of the views and our partnership with Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls site appears to be the most engaging—it has produced more than 56,000 social interactions so far.

Through the STEM10 video campaign, we harnessed the power of social media to successfully market CA Technologies, corporate social responsibility, and the entire computer software category. Our socially responsible social activation positioned CA as a cool, forward-thinking brand that isn’t afraid to take a stand while inspiring, showcasing, and building tomorrow’s pool of STEM talent with #NoBarriers and giving these young people a platform to have their voices heard.