This article from the NY Times was sent to me to share from my friend Warren Seidel at Unisource Worldwide. I have modified it but the full article is here: Are These Ads Worth the Paper They’re Not Printed On? – NYTimes.com. My apologies to the author, but also a HUGE thanks for covering our side of things!
Are These Ads Worth the Paper They’re Not Printed On?
A campaign to promote the value of using paper is turning to everyday situations to make its point after spending more than two years at the office.
The switch in subject matter began last week, when the Domtar Corporation and its agency, the Charlotte, N.C., office of Eric Mower & Associates, added four video clips-cum-commercials to the campaign, which carries the theme “Paper because.” The humorous videos are billed as entries in a series of “Really, Really Short Films” that started with the introduction of the campaign, which is aimed at so-called thought leaders in fields like business and education, in September 2010.
The first batch of videos, as well as the second, released in December 2011, offered viewers wacky vignettes that occurred at a workplace where a crusade to go “paperless” was carried to extremes.
The new videos, by contrast, are meant to demonstrate the importance of paper outside office settings. Two take place in homes and two in restaurants. The plots seem familiar at first, but then take twists meant to underscore why paper still has value.
The videos are in addition to other elements of the “Paper because” campaign, which include, of course, print advertisements. Those ads make “Paper because” points like “print is an art form,” “learning something new deserves all your attention,” “all this social media might be making us less social” and “a lot of places worth going to don’t get a signal, and hopefully never will.”
In one of the four new videos, “Anniversary,” a couple is seated at a table in a restaurant. “Happy anniversary,” the wife tells the husband. “I brought you something.” She hands him a card.
Another commercial, “Waiter,” also takes place in a restaurant. Men and women are ordering meals, but the waiter has no pad, pen or pencil. “Shouldn’t you be writing those down?” one of his customers asks.
A third commercial, “Bridal Shower,” takes place in a bride-to-be’s home. She is opening gifts and thanking her guests until she opens a package that contains an ugly vase.
A fourth commercial, “Tech Support,” brings to life a Catch-22 for the 21st century. A man is at home, talking to a woman in a call center about a router he just bought.
The new videos, and their predecessors, can also be watched in owned and shared media: on the Web site of the campaign, paperbecause.com; the Domtar corporate Web site, Domtar.com; the Domtar fan page on Facebook; and the campaign’s channel on YouTube, youtube.com/paperbecause.
The YouTube channel, which was set up after the second series of videos was introduced, has been effective in generating views for the videos… and stimulating conversations about the campaign in social media like Twitter.
Full article here: Are These Ads Worth the Paper They’re Not Printed On? – NYTimes.com.
