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Dr.
Spencer Silver discovers a unique, repositionable adhesive while
working as a Senior Scientist in 3M's Corporate Research Lab.
Silver shops his adhesive
around to other 3M scientists, trying to discover a problem that
the adhesive can solve. |
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While
singing in his church choir, Art Fry, another 3M scientist, tires
of losing his place in the hymnal. He dreams of a bookmark that's
lightly adhesive. Then he remembers Silver's adhesive, and his dream
begins to become real.
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| Fry
overcomes manufacturing obstacles to produce enough Post-it®
Notes to supply 3M's corporate headquarters, and 3M employees are
soon hooked. |
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| After
test markets show mixed reactions to Post-it® Notes, marketers
realize that the secret to success depends upon sampling the product.
Marketers travel to Boise, Idaho, to launch the famous sampling
effort known as the Boise Blitz. After saturating the office supply
industry with samples, an astonishing 90 percent of consumers who
try the product say they'll buy it. The product is given the green
light by management.
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| Post-it®
Notes are introduced in 11 Western states with heavy sampling. The
test is such a success, that consumers start shipping the notes
to their co-workers in cities where the product is not yet available.
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| Post-it®
Notes are introduced nationally in the United States. Lee Iacoca
and other Fortune 500 CEOs write to say how much they love the product. |
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| Post-it®
Notes are introduced in Canada and Europe. |
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Post-it® Brand Mark 1991
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Post-it®
Notes celebrate their 10th anniversary and are featured on many
lists of top consumer products of the decade. |
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Post-it® Brand Mark 2000
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Today,
there are more than 600 Post-it® Products. The now famous "not-so-sticky"
adhesive is also used on several other 3M products. |