3M GETS COOL AT SXSW
Merging science with digital technology to find a new audience.
As pioneer and purveyor of such office staples as Post-it® Notes and Scotch® Brand tapes, 3M Co.
(NYSE: MMM) knows a thing or two about having a brand that sticks in consumers’ minds. But how should they go about connecting with a new generation weaned on smartphones and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) - one that deals less with paper and more with Pinterest?
Easy. Go where the millennials go and appeal to their inner geek. That’s what 3M did with its LifeLab exhibition at the 2015 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin. The interactive installation was the company’s official launch of its new brand platform, “3M Science. Applied to Life.™,” which highlights the ways 3M’s products touch nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Still, the organizers for the St. Paul–based company faced a formidable challenge. “We leverage our technologies across a wide range of markets,” explains Penny Wise, 3M’s chief branding officer. “We had to pick a few products that would give a tech-savvy audience a sense of the breadth and depth of the company.”
Visitors to LifeLab could sew 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material to personal items such as bags or wallets. Another crowd favorite was the company’s Littmann® stethoscope, a Bluetooth-enabled diagnostic tool used on the International Space Station. Not only did the wireless stethoscope underscore the company’s advancement of remote health care, it tied into the festival’s music-centric vibe. The medical instrument was used by TOKiMONSTA, a DJ who performed at the festival, to incorporate her own heartbeat into her music.