Xerium Technologies, Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of consumable products in the pulp and paper industry, hired Hummingbird to create a full 2-page spread in Paperage magazine.  The ad was the first of its kind as it showcased their technical leadership and continuous innovation since being founded in 1802.

Xerium’s innovation facilitated the crossover to other manufacturing industries including fiber and stock processing, non-woven fabrics, building products and speciality products.

Creative Director Mike Neel came up with the “true pioneers keep pioneering” concept after a long run one day. “It becomes clear that those who are truly known as innovators, and stay top of their industry, are not pioneers once and then it’s over,” he explains, “They keep innovating and pushing the bar. This is reflected in Xerium’s technologies.”

The ad depicts a child at play with a cardboard airplane, and is ripe with metaphors:

• The child symbolizes Xerium in their youth.  Innovation is in their DNA–it’s part of who they are, and who they’ve always been, since the beginning
•  The airplane is cardboard—one of Xerium’s biggest markets.
• The airplane symbolizes innovation (the Wright Brothers–iconic innovators