3M is a diversified technology company, founded in 1902 in Minnesota, USA. Providing innovative products and services, 3M serves its customers through six business segments to increase speed and efficiency by sharing technological, manufacturing, marketing and other resources.
3M business segments are:
- Consumer & Office
- Health Care
- Display & Graphics
- Industrial & Transportation
- Electro & Communications
- Safety, Security & Protection Services (SS&PS)
The focus area of this campaign was the new range of 3M protective eyewear, which falls within the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business segment within SS&PS.
Strategy – Broader Business Issues the Company is Facing
In a dull and competitive marketplace, the trend for eyewear is moving away from traditional, old-fashioned designs to more sports-orientated styles. 3M’s acquisition of Aearo Technologies presented the brand with an opportunity to challenge market leaders with their full-featured range of protective eyewear products – comfortable and stylish, with 3M’s distinctive innovation.
A lead-generating, awareness-driving strategy was implemented through trade advertising and a DM piece with drive to microsite to highlight the extensive, attractive eyewear range.
Intuitive, interactive site elements engaged the audience and aided selection of free spectacles for trialling prior to ordering.
The campaign strapline, ‘Eye-catching protection’, positioned the eyewear as trendy and stylish, whilst also offering the level of protection consumers require.
The DM piece was sent out to Health and Safety Manager contacts from two lists (Health and Safety exhibitions). Total mailing volume: 3,700.
Objectives of the Campaign
- Promote awareness of the depth and breadth of 3M’s protective eyewear range
- Draw attention to style and design features of hero products
- Drive prospects to 3M via microsite or call centre through strong calls to action on trade ads and DM piece
- Increase trialling and sales of 3M protective eyewear
The Target Audience
The campaign’s core target audience was Health and Safety Managers across all industries.
Media, Channels or Techniques Used
Offer
Primary: Use the interactive microsite to select and order a free 3M protective eyewear sample.
Secondary: Gain automatic entry into a prize draw to win a Sony W220 digital camera and one of 50 3M eyewear clinics (comprehensive eyewear user assessment).
Postcard DM Piece
- Stylish hero product showcase, finished with gloss laminate to enhance the impact of trendy lens and frame colours
- Postcard reverse revealed a ‘stylish, attractive and comfortable’ eyewear range message as well as a strong call to action, driving audience to microsite
Trade Ad
- 1/2 page vertical trade ad mirrored the same look, feel and call to action as the DM piece and showcased two spectacles out of the 3M range
- Published in highly targeted, relevant press including Health & Safety Matters and Safety & Health Practitioner
Microsite
- Fresh, user-friendly microsite showcasing 3M’s stylish and attractive safety spectacles range
- Acts as an interactive experiential tool, offering users the chance to upload their photograph and ‘try on’ the spectacles
- Select frame style and lens colour for precision matching
- Once spectacle model is chosen, user has the opportunity to request a sample – a highly effective call to action, to which most visitors responded
- Entry to prize draw is automatic following sample request
- ‘Recommend a friend’ mechanic creates an effective and vital viral element
- Data capture element is key to customer insights, ongoing communications and future campaign leads
- Live now at www.3Meyecatchingprotection.co.uk
Timescales of the Campaign
- Research and planning (Aug 2009)
- Trade ad publication / DM piece mailing / microsite ‘go live’ (Sept – Oct 2009)
- Analysis – carried out weekly using Webalizer (Sept 2009 – Mar 2010)
Results
Of mailing quantity 3,700:
- 5,475 visitors
- 4,024 unique visitors (109 per cent drive to site)
- 1,187 sample requests (30 per cent)
- 201 recommend a friend (17 per cent)
- 30 recommended friends requested samples (15 per cent)
As evidenced above, the campaign has delivered great results – it’s the most successful online campaign ever for 3M Occupational Health & Environmental Safety in the UK (part of the 3M SS&PS business). The site continues to generate new leads.
- Moving monthly sales average for 3M’s eyewear range has improved by 21 per cent
- As a direct result of the campaign, many of 3M’s distributors and some health and safety specialists have added links on their website, driving additional audiences to the campaign landing page
Using highly targeted data and a relevant but desirable proposition, the campaign generated (and continues to generate) a huge number of website visits and leads from the target audience. The ‘Upload your photo’ application is a great way to engage and interact with the audience; the viral element added value and additional leads.
Client Testimonial
Sue Poole of 3M’s occupational health & environmental safety division says: “This campaign was focused around an innovative interactive website which enabled end users to see themselves wearing 3M safety spectacles. The website allowed visitors to upload a photo and then ‘try on’ a whole range of safety glasses, with the ability to order a free sample for trial. It was targeted at our core audience, Health and Safety Managers, and we used different mechanics to make our audience aware of the website, including Direct Mail and E-mailings.
We know that the look as well as the performance of safety spectacles is important to users to increase compliance and this site enables users to experiment with different looks. It is also extremely important that end users trial the products to gain buy-in from their workforces. This we achieved via ‘Eyewear Clinics’ which were won by lucky entrants and enabled end users’ workforces to try on the various 3M eyewear.
The campaign generated more than £8 for every £1 invested. Our unaided brand awareness levels have also grown and we are now at 24 per cent with aided awareness levels at 89 per cent. Due to this success it is also being replicated across other 3M European countries.”
