A heavy steel ball does not shatter a two-inch-thick pane of bulletproof glass lined with a Butacite interlayer.

Increase sales of Butacite in the architectural market without upsetting the share balance among the competitors.

In a car crash, the windshield's broken glass doesn't shard but remains attached to a laminate interlayer called Butacite. At the same time (1990) that DuPont increased Butacite manufacturing capacity in the U.S. and built a new plant to produce the laminate in Germany, automotive sales plummeted. To replace lost sales DuPont targeted the architectural market for growth.

Components of the IMAGINE program direct-mail package

Mail a well-produced videotape on the architectural use of laminated glass and brochures in six languages to 12,000 architects around the world. Package it in an elegant and reusable box embossed with the floor and ceiling plans of the first crystal palace ever built.

Offer viewers a chance to look at buildings by top architects around the world and include laminated-glass applications of which recipients may not have been aware. Make available through a mail and telephone response system useful technical information (in print and on diskette), case histories and a directory of all glass laminators worldwide. Vet and coordinate the program with the laminators to develop additional goodwill. Follow up with a directory of vendors, a computer diskette containing a program for calculating purchases and an ongoing program of mailings.

Spinoffs, Tie-ins and Media Play
From the footage shot for the videotape, we produced a 30-second spot for network and cable use. Broadcast during the DuPont Golf Tournament, it was seen in 88 countries around the world, on CBS, ESPN and the BrightStar network.

From the same footage, we produced a 16-monitor videowall for use in industry trade shows and tied the product in with DuPont's complete line of construction industry products.

In Sydney, Australia, this shopping mall entrance cuts down on the sun's rays.

The Imagine package and video became the centerpieces of media events. The videotape, which won international awards, kicked off product press conferences about the campaign, and the package was the subject of articles in architectural and marketing journals. As the architectural market's awareness grew, sales of laminated glass - and Butacite - increased beyond expectation. www.dupont.com (Edelman Public Relations Worldwide)