The Staples' "Easy Button" campaign has long been about the office supply retailer's ability to offer products and services that make work, school and home life easier to handle. Now, the chain is rolling out a new series of ads that seek to reinforce that shopping the company's stores and website make it easier for consumers to save money.
Staples' new back-to-school campaign, comprised of three commercials, demonstrates the retailer's understanding that consumers are looking for help while offering itself as a solution for getting by in tough times.
The three spots include women, with children in tow, in common life situations, including filling up a tank of gas, checking out at the supermarket and shopping for designer jeans in an upscale boutique. In each instance, the women in the commercial push their Easy Button only to discover that it doesn't work to lower the cost of the items purchased at other stores. At that point, we hear: "The Easy Button can save you lots of money, but only at Staples. Everything you need for back to school, at great prices. Staples. That was easy." Each of the spots follows with specials available at the retailer including some that are free or only a few pennies.
Shira Goodman, executive vice president of marketing at Staples, told The New York Times that the new campaign, which includes online and print ads to go with the television spots, is targeted to mothers between 25 and 45.
The spots are more focused on price, said Ms. Goodman, because "in today's environment, that's what our customers are worried about."
"Prior TV spots put more emphasis on assortment and ease of shopping and a little bit less emphasis on price. Our customers already know we have a great assortment," she said.
Discussion Questions: Does the new Staples campaign sound as if it is right for the times and this year's back-to-school season? Does the chain have a sufficient "price" pedigree so that its money-saving claims will ring true with consumers? How effective do you expect the campaign to be?