Kinko’s Challenge Is Living Up to Campaign

Ads: Kinko’s new TV campaign

Agency: Hal Riney & Partners Heartland, Chicago

Marketing challenge: Put a new twist on the company’s 2-year-old “new way to office” slogan to differentiate Kinko’s from its rivals.

Solution: The commercials stress the relationship between Kinko’s employees and customers--an element missing from previous ads that highlighted how small businesses use Kinko’s. The new spots show cheerful employees addressing customers by name and efficiently filling their orders.

Result: By touting the helpfulness and professionalism of employees, the $23-million campaign helps distinguish Kinko’s from other companies that offer copying services. The commercials attempt to address the anxiety small-business owners feel when they turn over important--perhaps even confidential--documents for reproduction. In one spot, a businessman gives a computer disk to a Kinko’s clerk, saying, “It’s my life.” The challenge for an organization as large as Kinko’s, with 830 stores, is living up to the ads. $$

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