Page 15 - BOSS Today Issue 15

Posting

a winner

The Post-it Note, which won the Brand of the Year (Traditional Office Products)

Award at the BOSS Awards, has earned its longevity

f, like many people, you messages a day. list, taking telephone messages, that are ideal for use on vertical
iview the Post-it brand as The office environment leaving a note for a colleague surfaces,” says Williams.
something that first came into has clearly moved on quite or sticking a reminder to your “We will continue to invest in
the office environment in the considerably since then, but laptop, we have a product for new developments that meet
1980s alongside such treasured Simon Williams, brand manager that.” the changing needs of our
items as the Filofax, you might for the Post-it brand at 3M in But despite it being 31 consumers, who we know are
be surprised to learn that the the UK, says it is his brand’s years since the Post-it brand more mobile than ever.”
idea behind what became the continuing relevance in the first arrived in the UK, its In fact, 3M and the Post-it
Post-it Note started back in 1968. modern office that accounts for manufacturer has not been brand’s ability to keep close to
That was the year when Art Fry, its success – not least in winning standing still. Today there are customers is a key part of its
a choir enthusiast who worked Brand of the Year in this year’s more than 600 Post-it products, success, says Williams. He has
for 3M and was looking for BOSS Awards. including meeting charts, only been with the company
something that would help him “It is good to know that pens, highlighters and even since earlier this year, having
keep his place in his hymn book, people still want to see ergonomic workspace products, worked previously for the toy
remembered that his colleague something visual that can cut while Post-it Notes themselves industry – he was UK brand
Spence Silver had been working through the rest of the office,” are available in eight standard manager for Barbie, Hot Wheels
on adhesives that would stick to he says. “The Post-it brand does sizes, 25 shapes and 62 colours and Scrabble, among others.
a surface without binding too that. As the office environment – many more than the standard But he says the one thing
tightly. The two men worked continues to evolve, we see and instantly recognised canary he learned in the toy industry
together and, over time, the consumers continue to engage yellow. that he feels applies equally to
Post-it Note evolved. with traditional office products “We are constantly the office supplies sector is the
It wasn’t introduced into such as the Post-it Note as much introducing new developments necessity of researching your
Europe until 1981. 3M must as other devices.” to the Post-it brand, whether it customer properly, and keeping
have spent the intervening years In many ways, he says, this is recycled notes or fun notes near to them.“The key thing is
perfecting the product, and continuing relevance is as dispensers such as our heart that you really have to know your
time was evidently well spent, much because of as in spite of shaped dispenser which has customer,” he says, “because only
because it has now become an developments within the office. proved hugely successful, or then can you deliver products
absolute office staple. So much With today’s professionals being our range of Super Sticky Notes that really resonate.”
so, in fact, that in a survey that so mobile, the need to leave just
was carried out last year the a little note to a colleague when
Post-it brand achieved a brand you are passing through without
awareness score of 93 per cent having to waste time using
among UK business users – technology to do so remains
something that many other paramount.
office products would give their “Office workers are more
right arm for. But such a score mobile than they have ever
is hardly surprising when you been and there is clearly more
consider that another workplace need than ever to have a Post- it
survey reckoned that, in 1998 at product close to hand,” he says,
least, the average professional “whether it’s for taking notes in
was receiving 11 Post-it Note meetings, organising your to do

December 2012/January 2013 | BOSS TODAY 15

POST IT.indd 3 30/11/2012 14:31