- Staples’ is celebrating its 40-year anniversary with a new brand platform that expands the perception of what the brand offers.
- The effort kicks off with a new campaign that positions the brand as a go-to source for both businesses and consumers beyond paper and office supplies and pitches the brand as a one-stop shop for everything from janitorial supplies to break room needs and printed materials for marketing campaigns or birthday parties.
- The ad is centered around the idea that “work is hard enough” and businesses shouldn’t have to choose the hard way to get it done. Staples offers friction free options in the ad.
Staples is building a new platform to help evolve its brand perception. While brand awareness is high – most Americans know who they are – most people don’t understand the scope of the company’s offerings.
Beyond office supplies and back-to-school, the retailer has a complex B2B business with a range of offerings from coffee and snacks for the breakroom, to janitorial supplies for schools and printed materials for consumer parties or business signage.
“So much of what we do is serving Fortune 500 companies, not really just through our stores, but through deep partnerships and relationships, said Bob Sherwin, chief marketing officer at Staples. “We are delivering to their buildings, we have drivers in their buildings, we are helping them with their printed collateral and marketing services, helping make sure their lobbies are spick and span and their break rooms are fully stocked with coffee supplies and snacks and beverages.”
“These are really big parts of our business and are a big reason why we’re doing so well as a company,” Sherwin continued. “But most people – including business decision makers, sometimes who are actually clients – don’t know about a lot of our capabilities and our differentiators.”
Sherwin said this is the first campaign in a platform that brings the scope of the brand’s services more front and center.
“Staples is a trailblazer, being the first office superstore and a part of so many people’s lives, whether that was their back to school shopping or helping them run a business or all the things you need to run a household,” said Sherwin. “That’s a great starting point. The challenge and opportunity is that over those 40 years, that has been our core, but we have evolved so far beyond just that.”
