Y&R

This is done for Office Depot by the New York office of Young and Rubicam.

This ad in particular was spread as a viral ad online, and it seems to be spoofing the tone and visuals of the Snuggie infomercials. At the end of the ad, viewers are encouraged to visit The Survival of the Smartest website, which is sponsored by Office Depot. The Survival of the Smartest features an initiative called the Small Business Self-Bailout that shows different services provided by Office Depot that can help small business owners who are struggling during the recession. The site is guided by two guys, Matt and Matt, who take users around the site, discuss new sales and promotions for the store, and add some definite character and humor to a relatively bland brand.

Y&R also created a weekly internet show called Smart Specials with both of the Matts as a way to give people information about sales and deals. Smart Specials was used as an alternative to Sunday Circulars; for a long time, Office Depot distributed coupons via Sunday Circulars but realized those only allowed consumers to interact with the brand for seconds while clipping coupons. The internet show is not only much less boring, but it fits more seamlessly into people's lives, as more and more people are turning to the internet as their primary source for information.

I think infiltration of viral videos are an innovative form of advertising because it's kind of a sneaky way to get your message across without bombarding people with product facts and brand names. Viral ads spread quickly and generate a lot of buzz in various online communities, but they can also deliver results. The recession aggression video generated around 20 million free PR impressions and was also the best performing spot on Hulu. The combination of the viral ad, the internet show, and the website are a great example of a completely integrated marketing campaign; one that is creative, engaging, and generates brand awareness and sales from multiple vehicles and media.