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Micron
Ahead of the Curve

Doubling down on Idaho chips.

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

Funded by an Idaho potato farmer, Micron Technology was founded in 1978 by three engineers in the basement of a dental office in Boise. Two years later, with little experience in manufacturing, Micron broke ground on its first fabrication plant. Today, they're one of the world's leading producers of microchips that are crucial for storing and accessing data in computers and smartphones and the servers used to train generative AI.​ From a brand point of view, however, Micron had lost much of its differentiation and it was significantly undervalued relative to its peers.

 

We were tasked with re-igniting Micron's challenger flame internally, and reinvigorating the company's public image.

The semiconductor industry is perceived as being stale and soulless.

Instead of trying to address every brand metric at once, we focused on one of the CEO's key strategic imperatives: tackling the critical shortage of talent in the semiconductor supply chain. And by simplifying the problem, we were able to get very specific about the attributes that needed shifting.

 

"Amongst a new generation of brand savvy STEM students, 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 discovered a visually stunning wall listing thousands of patents. On close inspection, one engineer's name popped-up again and again. After we sat down with Gurtej Sandhu it became clear that Micron stays ahead of the curve by creatively transforming limitations into commercial advantage. 

Armed with that insight, we persuaded the celebrated astrophysicist and science communicator, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, to deliver a rallying cry to Micron's 45,000 employees. 

As a result of reconnecting with the core values on which the firm was founded, we developed a campaign that celebrated grit and tenacity, and in doing so moved Micron from being seen as an engine of consumption to an honest, hard working catalyst of possibility

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

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

  • Micron is investing billions of dollars in the United States to build memory chip facilities as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. 

 

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

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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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