• by Aaron Baar , January 6, 2011

LAS VEGAS--Just as Intel made a name for itself as a computer component that people would look for when buying their PCs, Corning -- a brand known mostly for cookware products it no longer makes -- is looking to establish a name for itself as a necessary component for every consumer electronics product that requires glass.

The company has launched a print and online campaign to raise awareness among the technorati for its Gorilla Glass, which is already used on many CE products. The glass is formulated in a way that makes it more resistant to damage than other glass.

"People prefer their electronics products and handheld devices to be covered in glass," John Mannion, executive vice president of client relations for Doremus, the agency behind the campaign. "The one anachronism is that it would shatter and break. Corning has figured out a way to make thin sheets of glass that are damage resistant."

The campaign depicts tech-savvy gorillas putting cell phones, tablets and HDTVs through paces. The images and headlines play off the juxtaposition, with phrasings such as "Tough yet beautiful," "Tough yet handsome," and "Tough yet ingenious."

"Our job is to quickly get the name recognition and quickly communicate the two sides of the product," Mannion says. "The sophistication and the real natural beauty of it, plus something that's robust and tough. It seemed natural to use the gorillas."

The campaign, which will run in publications such as Bloomberg Business Week, Wired, Rolling Stone, GQ and Men's Journal, as well as technology publications, and on such tech enthusiast sites as CNET, Gizmodo and Engadget, is meant to raise consumer awareness of a product people may not consider (and where there's little brand awareness for any company), Mannion says.

"The devices [consumers] use are probably already covered in Gorilla Glass," Mannion says. "It's a good time to let people know there is a difference. Right now, there isn't a particularly robust competitor. So it seems like a good time to take advantage of that, as well."

The campaign is also intended to push Corning -- long-known as a household products brand, which is now produced under license by a third party -- to the top of mind in a category it's long been a part of but not considered in. "A lot of tech-savvy consumers might know them for fiber optics, which isn't bad," Mannion says. "The levers are kind of moving again."

In addition, Corning will look to some of its partners to use co-marketing to promote their products as having Gorilla Glass. In its presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Sony did just that, touting itself as the exclusive partner to use the glass in its television screens.