When OfficeMax's 2005-2006 Tracking Study revealed that consumers perceived customer service, value, and quality were identical among OfficeMax and rivals Office Depot and Staples, the company's senior director of external relations Bill Bonner faced a challenge.
"My boss gave us a mandate," Bonner says. "'Don't make ads. Make news.' We needed to deliver a campaign to break through the clutter in the office supply category, enliven the brand with PR, and drive visibility, when consumers had concluded that a paper clip ...