Broken glass with the 3M logo and dollars behind it used as a cover for the 3M, Glass Kicking, and Free Marketing article

3M, Glass Kicking, and Free Marketing

  • Published: 23/01/2025
  • 3 minutes read
Broken glass with the 3M logo and dollars behind it used as a cover for the 3M, Glass Kicking, and Free Marketing article

3M, Glass Kicking, and Free Marketing

  • Published: 23/01/2025
  • 3 minutes read

Nowadays, marketing is mostly standard practice – send some emails, write some content, put it all up on a website, run some ads, and hope it’s good enough. The internet is full of advertisements that don’t resonate with people or don’t grab their attention.

But every once in a while, we see out-of-the-box creative ideas that manage to stop us in our tracks. These ideas aren’t necessarily new – however, in 2025, when everything is working to grab your attention, seeing a properly executed demonstration campaign brings joy and curiosity. And grabs attention.

So, what do tape and glass have in common? A marketing stunt!

The Idea

3M and bus stop kicking

3M hired Rethink to create a campaign and demonstrate how strong their latest product was – a film application designed to strengthen glass and make it shatter-resistant.

Rethink came up with an interactive experience. They placed stacks of money between two glass panes and filmed people trying to break them to get to the money. Seemingly, 3M placed 3 million CAD between the panes (a wordplay on the name), and whoever gets to it is theirs for the taking.

Images of people trying to break the 3M Scotchshield on a bus stop in 2005
3M Scotchshield on a bus stop in 2005 - a marketing stunt. Source: Reddit
The Reception

Free Publicity and a good creative exercise

The press also covered the marketing stunt, further spreading the story and generating buzz. Due to its ‘show, don’t tell’ nature, people reacted positively to the stunt. Amazed by others’ inability to break a seemingly regular glass pane, many people tried.

The glass never broke; the frame started to give way, and the company-appointed security guard had to stop the marketing stunt.

The Outcome

A flow of new customers

Rethink admitted that its creative idea helped its client in many ways. It brought brand recognition, but it also created a backlog for the product. The product became so popular that stores almost instantly sold it the moment it came back on shelves. And why wouldn’t they? The company proved that the product can be trusted.

And the one-day stunt? According to some estimates, it made 3M stand out from its competitors, further established itself as a household name, and got massive free publicity that continues even today.

Facts vs. Fiction

What happened, and what people say happened

Since the stunt happened in 2005, the story surrounding it has been circulating the web ever since. And as with many urban legends, people like to spice up the story, no matter how interesting it already is. So, here’s a quick fact-check – it might ruin amazement for some.

  1. The company placed 500 CAD on top to make the prize appear real; the rest of the stacks were fake notes.
  2. The glass wasn’t bulletproof. The Scotchshield made it more resistant to blunt force and shattering.
  3. Yes, there were security guards around the bus stop. Their job was to stop the stunt if they saw anything other than the glass breaking – which they did – and to prevent people from using objects to break the glass.
  4. The glass was regular glass with shatter-resistant film applied to it.
  5. If a person would break the glass, they would have received the prize.

 

Nevertheless, the campaign is still relevant today and often goes around the world because of its creativity and simplicity.