OfficeMax Launches Social and Rich Media Campaign

A new campaign from OfficeMax’s employs unique rich media banners, Facebook apps and an interactive site to drive awareness of a new line of organization products.

OfficeMax partnered with author Peter Walsh, an expert on organization systems, to create a line of products sold exclusively by the retailer. The [In]Place line — which contains file folders, binder clips, and post-it pads — needed its own campaign to highlight the unique features of each item. Waving a flag for the products are a series of PointRoll Flash ads designed by Chicago-based agency The Escape Pod.

Walsh appears in all three banner ads. In one creative he looks from one part of the banner into another where he sees the diorama of a cluttered office. He reaches out of his area, grabs the diorama and shakes it, and fixes the desk area up so it is minimal and organized. He then walks in and sits in the chair.

A more interactive ad shows paper continuously falling on Walsh. Internet users can click on the ad to make the paper fall faster. “Peter goes at super speeds to take all the paper and organize it into files,” said Norm Bilow, managing director at The Escape Pod.

The same agency also handled the media buy. Ads were placed on MarthaStewart.com, Oprah.com, BlogHer.com, and Entrepreneur.com. The campaign also placed print ads in Martha Stewart magazine and Oprah Magazine; these were created in-house by OfficeMax.

The Escape Pod created two Facebook apps, Friends[In]Place, and Photos[In]Place. Both allow users to create folders using virtual versions of the [In]Place System line of folders and color-coded tabs. The friends application lets users group buddies by association. Users can label each folder and drag friends to each location to create order. The photo app takes any shared pictures of a user or his friend’s and allows him to order them in folders, again by using a similar filing system.

“We tried to take [In]Place System and modify it online,” said Bilow.

OfficeMax worked with Big Spaceship on the development of an [In]Place System microsite.

The Escape Pod has worked with OfficeMax on previous campaigns including Penny Pranks, a series of viral videos.