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Micron
Doubling down on Idaho chips

Investing in long-term, generational transformation.

1980 groundbreaking of Micron's first manufacturing plant, in Boise, Idaho.

Funded by a potato farmer, Micron was founded in 1978 by three engineers in the basement of a dental office in Idaho. Two years later, with little experience in manufacturing, Micron broke ground on its first fabrication plant. Today, they're the world's leading producer of chips that are crucial for storing and accessing computer data. ​From a brand value point of view, however, Micron was significantly underperforming. 

 

Instead of trying to address every brand metric at once, we were tasked with focusing on a key strategic imperative: tackling Micron's talent shortage.  

The semiconductor industry is perceived as being stale and soulless.

Simplifying the problem led us to 'the' key attribute that needed shifting.

"The semiconductor industry is perceived as being a stale and soulless manufacturer of a commodity."

Deloitte Global Semiconductor Outlook

Gurtej Sandhu has racked up more US patents than Thomas Edison.

Our solution began to take shape during a factory tour in Boise, where we were shown a visually stunning wall listing thousands of patents. On close inspection, one engineer's name popped-up again and again.

 

Gurtej Sandhu's grit and creativity embody the values on which Micron was built. Where others see constraints as adversely limiting, he sees them as fertile forces of enhancement that stimulate new possibilities

​​

Armed with this insight, we persuaded the celebrity science communicator, Neil deGrasse Tyson, to help us rally the firms 50,000 employees at a CEO led town hall meeting. 

By burnishing and championing qualities that were dormant in the brand's DNA, our campaign moved Micron from being seen as an engine of consumption to a catalyst of possibility. 

  • Micron is recognized as a tireless advocate for STEM education initiatives and a diverse workforce. 

  • Micron is listed as one of the best employers for tech workers.

  • Micron is investing billions of dollars in the US to build new facilities as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. 

 

Source: Interbrand, Fortune, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.

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"What got us here won't get us there."

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO

Services

Brand Strategy,

Digital, Print, Outdoor

Content & Social

Design, Video, Events 

Client

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO

Delphine Lemaitre, Marketing

Collaborators

Linda Halverson, Micron Studio

Jason Jacopian, Micron Studio

Eric Barth, Micron Studio

Alfred de Varona, Micron Studio

See other work

Be a charming guest,
not an aggressive tout.

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