Post-it Note

For over 40 years, the Post-it® Brand has helped people be more productive, communicate better and express themselves in a number of creative ways. At that time we wanted to develop bigger, stronger, tougher adhesives," said Silver."This was none of those." What Silver discovered was something called microspheres which retain their stickiness but with a "removability characteristic," allowing attached surfaces to peel apart easily. For years, Silver struggled to find a use for his invention. But that didn’t keep him from touting the merits of his creation to colleagues. Meanwhile, Art Fry, another 3M scientist, was frustrated. Every Wednesday night while practicing with his church choir, he would use little scraps of paper to mark the hymns they were going to sing in the upcoming service. By Sunday, he’d find that they’d all fallen out of the hymnal. He needed a bookmark that would stick to the paper without damaging the pages. Thinking back to a seminar he’d attended on Silver’s microspheres, he had what he now refers to as his eureka moment. “The one where you get the adrenaline rush."¹ Partnering with Silver, they began developing a product. Once they found themselves writing messages on their new notes to communicate around the office, they realized the full potential of the idea. 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. The notes became an overnight success. "It was always a self-advertising product because customers would put the notes on documents they sent to others, arousing the recipient's curiosity. They would look at it, peel it off and play with it, and then go out and buy a pad for themselves." Silver said, that like many ground-breaking innovations, theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did. Its now iconic Canary Yellow color was chosen by happenstance — a lab next door only had scrap yellow paper on hand. Lee Iaccoa and other Fortune 500 CEOs wrote to say how much they loved them. Post-it® Notes are introduced in Canada and Europe. The Post-it® Note celebrated its 10th anniversary and was featured on many lists of top consumer products of the decade. Post-it® Easel Pads were introduced. Brainstorming has not been the same, since. After 28 years with the company, Spencer Silver, co-founder of Post-it® Notes, retired from 3M with more than 22 US patents to his name. The main characters in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion claim to have invented Post-it® Notes in the time since their graduation. A workplace study showed the average professional now receives 11 messages on Post-it® Notes each day. Post-it® Notes are sold in more than 100 countries. The now famous Post-it® adhesive continues to be used on many 3M products. Post-it® Super Sticky Notes were introduced with a stronger adhesive that adheres better to vertical and non-smooth surfaces. After its introduction, the Post-it® Flag Highlighter received high marks from students for being a highlighter and Post-it® Flag dispenser all in one. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey included Post-it® Flag Highlighters on her “Face Behind the Name” episode. 3M Product Designer David Windorski took a curtain call on the show. Now, with a shift underway to more collaborative work environments, the larger size helps professionals visualize their ideas and work more effectively with their teams. Now, with a shift underway to more collaborative work environments, the larger size helps professionals visualize their ideas and work more effectively with their teams. All Post-it® Super Sticky Notes are now made with a water-based adhesive. Post-it