The idea for the Post-it note was conceived in 1974 by Arthur Fry as a way of holding bookmarks in his hymnal while singing in the church choir. He was aware of an adhesive accidentally developed in 1968 by fellow 3M employee Spencer Silver. No application for the lightly sticky stuff was apparent until Fry's idea.
Fry decided to make 3M corporate headquarters his proving ground. Fry supplied the entire company with the new adhesive notes. Employees loved them.3M initially launched the product in four cities under the name Press 'n Peel with mixed results.
Marketers decided to put the product directly into consumers’ hands. The massive sampling effort — known as the Boise Blitz because of its launch in Boise, Idaho — was a runaway success. Ninety percent of those who tried the product said they’d buy it.
On April 6, Silver and Fry’s unsung hero debuted in US stores as Post-it® Notes.
Its now iconic Canary Yellow color was chosen by happenstance —
a lab next door only had scrap yellow paper on hand.
Post-it® Notes are now available in many standard sizes, shapes and colors in more than 150 countries. Currently, there are more than 1,000 Post-it® Products.
Having seen Post-it® Notes featured in films, mosaic pop art and the daily lives of millions, Silver is blown away. “The fact that they’ve just exploded as a product is more than I could ever hope for."
No comments:
Post a Comment