Case Study: How a Viral Campaign Gave OfficeMax Brand Recognition, Drove Shoppers

Company: OfficeMax, Inc.
Contact: Bob Thacker, Senior VP of Marketing and Advertising
Location: Naperville, Ill.
Industry: Retail (B2C, B2B)
Annual revenue: $8,960,000,000
Number of employees: 35000

Quick Read:

OfficeMax, Inc. is one of the world's largest B2B and B2C office supply chains. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange (OMX), the chain sells to customers in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Its biggest sales season is the annual back-to-school period in its markets.

But the chain also sells digital cameras, televisions, and other products that are popular during the holiday season, and OfficeMax sought to inform customers that it could be a destination for their holiday shopping. Furthermore, internal research found that customers often confused OfficeMax with its chief rival, which has a very similar name. Company officials wondered how they could distinguish themselves and simultaneously encourage customers to visit their stores for holiday shopping.

OfficeMax tried an interactive approach for the holiday seasons of 2006 and 2007. The company sponsored a special Web site where customers could create online "elves" that could be used in personal email greetings. The site was a global hit, and by December 2007 it became the 51st most-visited site on the web, according to Hitwise. About 1 in 10 Americans online visited the site, and it was the No. 1 entertainment site visited by Australians that month, according to Hitwise.