3Com Launches $100 Million Ad Campaign

Networking giant 3Com Corp. launched Thursday a $100 million branding campaign highlighting the company’s new focus of delivering “functionally rich, yet radically simple” network solutions to businesses and consumers.

3Com says the first phase of the integrated brand campaign, created by Lowe, Lintas & Partners, New York, will initially target U.S. business markets, with consumer and international advertising to begin in the fall.

3Com says its “Anyone” campaign, which will begin appearing Thursday on television, illustrates networking problems and offers 3Com as the solution.

One television spot for 3Com’s wireless solutions portrays a worker rushing to finish a project who is distracted by a throat-clearing colleague at a nearby desk. The spot, 3Com says, poses the question, “Wireless network anyone?” A narrator provides 3Com’s solution to the busy executive’s problem: “3Com lets you get up and work where you want while still connected to the network.”

The “anyone” theme, 3Com says, is to be continued in the print advertisements, which also demonstrate everyday networking problems.

The television spots will appear on cable channels such as CNN, Discovery, Comedy Central, The History Channel and ESPN, beginning Thursday. 3Com’s print ads will appear in publications such as Newsweek, Time, Smart Money and the Wall Street Journal.