3M Makes Retargeted Banner Ads Less Annoying by Turning Them Into Post-it Notes

Retargeted banner ads are the sledgehammer of the Web, bashing you again and again with the same random product you looked at once, whether you like it or not.

But 3M figured it could use the retargeted banner's weakness as a strength. If the same banner comes up again and again, the company figured, why not make it a Post-it note where you could jot down info that might be useful later—when the ad pops up again?

Proximity Russia did just that in a recent campaign. Check out the case study below. It seems like ad-blocking software, but it's not. 3M simply used retargeting technology and gave it an interactive spin.

The agency collaborated with several banner networks to get the Post-its on top websites in Russia. Clicking on the banners led you to a Post-it page, where you could create more stickers, edit or delete them all.

CREDITS

Client: 3M

Marketing Supervisor: Sergey Smolentsev

Marketing Coordinator: Yulia Smirnova

Agency: Proximity Russia

Creative Director: Andrew Kontra

Senior Copywriters: Polina Zabrodskaya, Anna Migaleva

Senior Art Director: Fernando Muto

Business Development Director: Mikhail Vdovin

Digital Director: Alexander Makarovsky

Senior Account Manager: Polina Zvereva

Digital Production House: Indee Interactive

Producer: Alexey Zinchenko

UI Designer: Egor Bernikov

Coders: Arina Vernidub, Andrey Zakurdaev, Oleg Nikanorov