Strategic and powerful use of humor

Matrix was a smaller semiconductor equipment company with a special personality. They were very customer oriented, and they also liked to have fun. They also happened to make a product called a photoresist stripper.

All of this gave us a natural opportunity to strongly differentiate this group, and when we proposed this fun campaign we knew they would jump for it. And they did, wholeheartedly, as you can see in the photos.

Of course, this particular approach would not be right for many companies; however for Matrix, it was precisely on target. And it was a resounding success. Their industry had never seen anything even close to this before. The Matrix guys poking a little fun at themselves was an immediate sensation. It got them a huge amount of attention – and also an increased level of professional respect.

Everyone who saw these ads took note, and they remembered them for years. They also took note of Matrix’s differentiation message, that this is a one-of-a-kind group of guys who will do whatever it takes to help the customer.

This campaign is clear evidence of the marketing impact that can be achieved with break-through differentiation that’s implemented intelligently and well.