Will rebranding deliver the results that Staples needs?


Less than two years ago, Staples launched the first campaign in its history focused exclusively on business customers. Two days ago, the office supplies retailer announced it is rebranding itself as a “worklife fulfillment company” with a new logo and five private label brands. Staples will also enhance its digital efforts with The Loop, an online product solutions guide, plus a planned website redesign and amped-up social media push using the hashtag #WorkLifeSolutions.
The new logo, which looks like a staple, “is symbolic of the commitment we are making to our customers,” said Marshall Warkentin, Staples chief marketing officer, in a statement.
“They are innovative, forward-thinking problem-solvers, and it’s important for them to know that we are, too,” said Mr. Warknetin. “Our solutions for Worklife extend well beyond business essentials. We have expertise in furniture, technology, pack and ship and facilities. And we are partners to our customers every step of the way.”
Among Staples’ new private labels is the TRU red line of business essentials, which includes such items as pens, notebooks and shredders. Union & Scale is a line of workplace furniture and NXT Technologies includes wireless chargers and other tech products and accessories. The Coastal Professional line includes products such as janitorial carts and cleaning supplies. Perk, said to be “coming soon,” is billed as “breakroom essentials with just the right touch of personality.”
Staples CEO Sandy Douglas said the company’s focus on “worklife fulfillment” is driven by the passion of its customers.
“Worklife fulfillment is about helping businesses of all sizes as they create the most dynamic and productive work environments for their teams,” said Mr. Douglas, who was a 30-year veteran of Coca-Cola before joining Staples last year.
“Our customers deserve more than just an algorithm for ordering products for their business. They are creative, collaborative, idea-driven professionals, and the go-to person for their workplace,” he said. “Our team’s role in their success is to provide product and service solutions at great prices, and to understand their business needs.”
The Loop is Staple’s new product guide that can browsed online or downloaded. It focuses on helping business customers with recommendations for building efficient teams, decluttering work space and tips for creating effective presentations.
- Staples Reinvented: Digital and Delivery Business Launches New Brand Centered on Being The Worklife Fulfillment Company – Staples
- The Loop – Staples
- Staples hires a new CEO – Digital Commerce 360
- Will redirecting its focus from stores help Staples’ top and bottom lines? – RetailWire
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you see as the challenges faced by Staples in the current market? Will its rebranding effort take Staples in the right direction?
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13 Comments on "Will rebranding deliver the results that Staples needs?"
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Chief Executive Officer, The TSi Company
Managing Director, GlobalData
Put bluntly, Staples is a brand in search of a purpose. It utterly failed in the consumer market because it did not create an engaging and compelling proposition. The latest focus on the business market is sound as is the shift into services. However, Staples is going to have its work cut out in developing a clear point of differentiation. Many of the things it is offering already exist elsewhere, such as at FedEx stores.
Strategy & Operations Delivery Leader
It was high time for Staples to rebrand itself in the states, as the company had a long string of struggles, and the stores simply did not resonate with the current generation. The company has always been synonymous with being the go-to destination for office supplies, yet with the evolution of how and where we work, especially with the mobile/virtual office, Staples has been behind the trend.
One can hope that the U.S.-based version of Staples will follow the blazing path that Staples Canada has developed with their new retail concept in Quebec that will help revolutionize the brand as well as create community engagement. Staples Canada is adapting to help their customers work, learn and grow, including providing shared workspaces.
The key to the Staples Canada’s success so far has been their ability to listen and adapt to the changing customer needs. Let’s hope that the U.S. Staples rebranding takes a similar approach.
EVP Thought Leadership, Marketing, WD Partners
Let’s see — too many stores, commodity product, awful experience on- or offline … that’s a big mountain! Like any retailer now (re-branded or not) with that same trio of issues, Staples will seek its level in this new world of retail, which will be MUCH smaller.
But they do have a couple of things going for them; they are clearly the cream of the crop brand in their silo, AND their online sales are very strong so they will wind up much smaller, but they may also wind up as the only kid left standing on their block.
President, Integrated Marketing Solutions
It appears that Staples Loop is trying to differentiate through rich content on a variety of work-life topics. Providing consistent, relevant content is a major challenge and investment. Will customers go to yet another source on how to be “more productive?” The most promising part of Staples website would appear to be “services and solutions.” It would seem that Staples’ best investment would be investing profitable services rather than developing “work-life fulfillment” content. However, every retailer must continue to test alternatives. In this case, Google Analytics of traffic and flow will provide answers very quickly on what customers find relevant.
Director, Retail Market Insights, Aptos
VP, Digital Technology (Foot Locker)
I applaud the move, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. I’ll tell you this much, as someone helping run a small business I’d welcome a destination to go to for “all things entrepreneur.” They need to go past this five-brands concept (which is really departmentalizing products) and keep to one brand, but go into different offerings all together, IMHO.
“Yeah, I heard a really great presentation at a Staples last night on leadership in the office … while I was there I picked up a few supplies we needed.” — that needs to be the trend.
Here's the catch – What else were they going to do? The "do nothing" is the "die" part of "adapt or die".
Senior Retail Writer
Staples’ rebranding efforts could pay off, but only if they upgrade their store experience to match this new vision. If they want to be a “worklife” brand, the shopping experience needs to reflect that. The example that comes to mind is Target. They do a great job of creating smaller pop-ups within their stores that showcase different private label brands. Helping businesses “create the most dynamic and productive work environments” also requires high levels of customer service and expertise from store associates. So I hope training is an important part of Staples’ rebranding strategy.
Chief Marketing Officer, Impact 21
Staples is best at delivering commodity items that are unexciting to buy. The categories they are trying to further penetrate are already handled better by other retailers. Visit just about any store adjacent to a Staples and then go into Staples. It’s beyond depressing. The stores are generally empty other than back-to-school season. This is going to be a long journey for Staples and I doubt it goes well.
President and CEO, Stealing Share
If I only knew what “a worklife fulfillment company” IS. A hallmark of great brands must be simplicity and common sense. This is anything but.
Ask someone what NIKE or APPLE represents and they can parrot back to you — almost verbatim — the brand’s strategy.
Can you imagine ANYONE repeating that line of drivel?
I get it. The rebranding was needed. Staples certainly needed to change and adapt. But this is in no way a further refinement of the message. This is a brand lost with no idea how to find their way home (or to consumers’ homes).
President, The Treistman Group LLC
President, b2b Solutions, LLC
The office retailer specialty market has continued to shrink as online competitors have chipped away by selling some of their core items. Other than electronics and furniture I can’t think of any reason to go to a Staples store.
In my case there is an Office Depot/Max closer and I find no substantive difference between the two. I am unsure that business will turn to the re-branded version of Staples for business advice especially because they have not recently shown their own ability to be relative.
CFO, Weisner Steel
Let me get this straight: they replacing (well, sort of) a well known brand with five — no, make that six — new brands? Why?
I think we might have rephrased the Daily Poll as “are rebranding efforts EVER successful?” Unfortunately I think this will be an example of the answer being “no.” Staples is facing the problem that much of what they sell — paper, pens, pencils — really aren’t staples anymore … or at least not to the extent that they once were. This is a long-term shift that no amount of wordplay is going to change.