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Staples is Set on Making More Happen

January 6, 2014Written by Tom Ryan

Retiring its "That was Easy" tagline after more than a decade, Staples is adopting a new slogan, "Make More Happen," to herald how its assortments now extend well beyond the ink, office chairs and other white collar office supplies the retailer is known for.

One new 30-second TV spot, titled "Big Idea," is set in an ultra-modern factory where workers are using products purchased through Staples, including the latest technology, safety equipment, factory signs and coffee.

The bent staple in Staples' logo (the letter "L") is also being removed to showcase its broader mix. Initially, Staples is excluding it on Staples.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, where fans can join the "What the L is going on at Staples?" conversation by using the hash tag #WhatTheL. This Thursday, Staples will swap the letter with items such as water hose spray guns, scales used in medical settings, and dog biscuits.

With demand for paper and ink lessening in the digital era, Staples has been reducing the number of products available in stores while adding "breakroom" items such as Folgers coffee mix, bottled water, candy, and candles as well as janitorial supplies such as paper towels. Its larger stores are being exited as leases come due with an overall focus on a smaller, more-convenient model.

But "Make It Happen" particularly support Staples.com, which features 300,000 items and has been expanding at a rate of 2,000 new products per day to appeal to businesses across a wide range of industries, including retail store, safety, education, and healthcare. The website promises to soon offer packaged solutions for restaurant and food service, sewing and tailoring, florist and garden and salon & spa. Online orders can be sent to a nearby store.

"Make More Happen highlights how Staples is reinventing itself to provide every product businesses need to succeed," said Shira Goodman, EVP, global growth, in a statement.

While many businesses are said to be seeing the advantages of using Staples.com, billed as the world's second largest internet retailer, as a one-stop destination, the everyday retail customer hasn't caught on.

"Where they have struggled has been in retail," Gary Balter, an analyst who follows Staples for Credit Suisse, told the Boston Globe. "They haven't gotten the customer to associate Staples with anything but office supplies. This campaign is a step to try to fix that and it's a good step."

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