Grey launched a new campaign for 3M’s Post-it brand, extolling the virtues of handwritten notes to help people remember and complete tasks, entitled “Make it Stick,” the brand’s first campaign since 2013.
In the 30-second spot “Jump,” that task is tied to physically sticking a Post-it to the wall. A girl is seen placing increasingly higher Post-it notes on her bedroom wall, which is curious until we learn the reason. The next day she appears at basketball tryouts and is the first to demonstrate her vertical leap, placing a Post-it reading “Tomorrow I’ll jump even higher” on the backboard.
Tying the brand to such a task is a bit strange, as the stronger argument in writing things down physically involves improved retention and having an actual physical reminder to complete a task. Still, something about it works as a metaphorical demonstration of how the brand can help you complete a variety of tasks.
The premise of the campaign is based around a 2007 study entitled “The impact of commitment, accountability, and written goals on goal achievement,” which found that people are 42% more likely to complete a handwritten task, Jeff Hillins, global business director for 3M’s stationery and office supplies division, told AdAge. Lest you question the applicability of a study almost a decade old, 3M also commissioned a survey of Gen Z, (those born between 1995-2012), which found that 85 percent of email respondents said they learn best from a mix of digital and traditional learning tools, with 81 percent saying they’d feel limited by sticking just with digital.
More to the point of the study, perhaps, is the first in an online documentary series. It tells the story of Imani Davis, a young poet whose craft benefitted from daily writing sessions. The spot documents Davis’ rise from anxiety-riddled student to aspiring young poet who performed at the Apollo, and the function Post-it notes have played in her writing process.