In the minds of top 3M Co. executives, not enough people know that the company makes liquid coolants in which sensitive computer servers are immersed.
Fewer still associate 3M with the glass and ceramic bubbles used in cars and paints or its Bluetooth-enabled stethoscopes, reflective road signs or the brightening films used in TVs, cellphones and laptops.
To the man on the street, 3M is synonymous with Scotch tape and Post-it notes.
The 3M executives hope that's about to change.
The Maplewood-based conglomerate has hired creative firm BBDO in New York to launch a new ad campaign that emphasizes its smartphone, passport, library and filtration technologies, among other products that are seen every day but not readily identified with the $32 billion manufacturer.
The campaign — which features the new 3M tagline "3M Science. Applied to Life" — launches online Friday. It also will be featured prominently at South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film and interactive-technology festivals, which begin this weekend in Austin, Texas.
3M officials declined to disclose the campaign's cost but said the new branding and tagline will emphasize how 3M's science "impacts the world around us." The campaign is designed to educate existing and future customers about the breadth of 3M's scientific offerings and research, officials said.
If successful, the new ad campaign will help consumers and corporations think differently about 3M and "generate a new conversation that challenges traditional perceptions of the 3M brand," said Jesse Singh, 3M senior vice president of sales and marketing.