Staples Canada is bringing back an oldie but a goodie for its new back-to-school campaign. After a one-year hiatus, a rocked-up version of the song “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is back as the centrepiece of Staples’ annual promotion.
This is the fifth iteration of the popular campaign, which first debuted in the mid-90s.
“It’s the most wonderful time…” was shelved last year in favour of a back-to-school campaign using another well-known song, “Just Can’t Get Enough.” The resulting consumer reaction led Staples to rethink its strategy this year, said Staples’ director of advertising, Sandy Salmon.
“It wasn’t only something we loved internally, it’s something our customers relate to and were sad not to see a reiteration,” said Salmon. “We didn’t think [“It’s the most wonderful time…”] resonated, and we were actually shocked to hear that our customers were so sad to see it go.”
Previous studies had shown that campaigns using the 1963 Andy Williams song have generated unaided recall of up to 33% for Staples.
“We thought… that it really wasn’t something that the current customer would have wanted to see, but that’s not true,” said Salmon. “A lot of the people that remember that commercial are now parents, and they’ve got kids and they really do relate to back to school as the most wonderful time of the year.”
A new 30-second TV spot created by MacLaren McCann opens on two Staples sales associates in a back room waiting for the clock to strike twelve. As it does, they hit the “Easy” button (another fixture of Staples advertising) that transforms the store into a riotous atmosphere of confetti and colourful piñatas spilling office supplies – all accompanied by a rockabilly version of the campaign’s signature song.
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A 15-second version of the spot is also running on more than 1,500 cinema screens across the country.
The campaign runs for six weeks through Sept. 7 with additional elements including radio, in-store and online. MediaCom oversaw media for the campaign.
The campaign also features a social media component that it tied to a broader digital campaign developed in partnership with Crucial Interactive. That digital campaign features what the company characterized as a “robust” buy that includes sites such as BlogHer.com, ESPN.com and TechRadar.com.
