Xerox
"The campaign goal is to evolve the Xerox brand in a way that more accurately reflects the role Xerox is playing in the world today, and engage the business audience in conversations around how technology, people and processes can better come together to solve business problems and deliver real business outcomes," said Mr. Kennedy, who was appointed VP-CMO last July and was previously VP-global business services at IBM Corp.
The campaign, which has the new tagline "Work Can Work Better," was created by Xerox lead agency partner Y&R New York and Y&R's digital agency VML. It launches with a 30-second TV spot, which will air Sunday during the broadcast of the U.S. Open on ESPN and ESPN2, as well as on business networks such as MSNBC, CNBC, CNN and Fox Business. The campaign also includes print, online and outdoor ads, as well as a redesigned website. The budget was undisclosed.
The campaign is a departure for Xerox, which has been transforming from a hardware-centric company -- mainly printers and copiers -- to a provider of business services, which now make up nearly two-thirds of the company's $19.5 billion in annual revenue.
"Our last two (advertising) efforts, 'Ready for Real Business' and 'Made Simple by Xerox,' have largely focused on what Xerox is not," Mr. Kennedy said. "Xerox has universally been associated with one specific category, which is all about the technology. The business has evolved into one of the largest business-services providers, competing with IBM, Accenture and other business-service outsourcing firms."
Xerox provides business services including online printing, enterprise content management, workflow automation and transaction processing.
The TV ad, which is set to the 1969 Harry Nilsson song "Everybody's Talkin' at Me," shows a business executive in various settings -- an office corridor, elevator, conference room and airport -- being bombarded with jargon such as "internet of things," "big data," "cloud technology" and "virtual reality." His coffee even has a sleeve that says "Be more cloud-tastic."
"We wanted to dramatize, in a very human and relatable way, what is happening in the business world, showing the level of technobabble noise that is out there and highlighting that Xerox has a different approach," said Barbara Basney, VP-global advertising, brand content and media at Xerox. "We are putting together the right people, processes and technology to help make work work better."
Xerox is now shooting four 15-second TV spots that will focus on four key industries for Xerox -- transportation, HR benefits, customer-care services and electronic health records, Ms. Basney said. "We will use that same wink-and-a-smile approach to show what we do in these spaces to help make work work better," she said.
Print ads, which show how Xerox solves business problems in specific industries, will run in business publications including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. The campaign also includes online and out-of-home ads in major airports.
As part of the campaign, Xerox is also launching a redesigned website, created by VML and content development company Velocity. The redesigned website features videos, case studies, social feeds, blogs and other information to show how Xerox is helping businesses in specific industries work better.
"Content is part and parcel of continuing the story," Ms. Basney said. "We want to provide snackable nuggets throughout the website for each business we serve."
