Creativity 3.0: Thinking Inside the Box

While OfficeMax is one of the office superstore industry’s big-three retailers, Thacker acknowledges it is number three in an “extremely undifferentiated category.” As such, its competitors annually outspend it on marketing efforts by two to three times.

 

Nevertheless, since joining OfficeMax in 2005, Thacker and his team have racked up an impressive resume of successes, including such standout campaigns as the “Save Money On Ink” tattoo creative; “Elf Yourself,” a viral marketing phenomenon; “Schooled,” a reality back-to-school TV show; and “The World’s Largest Rubberband Ball” national media event.

 

As he will point out in his BMA presentation, Thacker credits the success of these efforts to a philosophy that big ideas can trump big budgets, and that those ideas don’t all live in the marketing department. He’s a big believer in the classic approach to brainstorming, where stakeholders with different perspectives from throughout the organization are brought together and encouraged to be big thinkers. It can be an exhausting process, Thacker said, but it has yielded big results from relatively small investments.

 

One example is the “Elf Yourself” holiday campaign, which OfficeMax created with a budget that was less than the cost to produce one TV commercial. Originally launched in 2006—when YouTube and Facebook were new and Twitter didn’t even exist—OfficeMax’s “Elf Yourself” microsite let users paste their photos onto dancing elves and share the results with friends. It went viral, and since then a reported 416 million customized elves have been created, with ElfYourself.com receiving more than 378 million visits.

 

Those are the kind of metrics that any marketing executive would love to be able present in terms of return on investment. But at OfficeMax, return on investment begins with getting a return on investment from its employees, Thacker said.

 

It is crucial that the company is able to cultivate its employees’ knowledge and experience and unleash their creativity. Looking at it in those terms, traditional ROI is absolutely dependent on another ROI: recognition of individuals. Creating ways for people to bring ideas forward without fear of failure, acknowledging contributions—even just saying “thanks” and “good job”—can be huge motivators.

 

That may seem like a simple concept, Thacker said. But in the current economic climate, where those who have survived the layoffs have not only picked up responsibilities of those less fortunate but also fear they’ll be next, it’s a concept that’s vital for growth.

 

Bob Thacker is senior vice president of marketing and advertising at OfficeMax. He joined the company in late 2005, bringing with him a strong background in marketing and brand development. In his leadership role, Thacker is guiding the company’s brand positioning and all customer marketing interactions.

 

With limited resources and an undifferentiated brand, Thacker quickly recognized the value in non-traditional media as a solution. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent authorities on social media and is credited as the founder of the most successful viral marketing campaign of all time: “Elf Yourself,” a dynamic marketing phenomenon that has become an international holiday tradition eagerly anticipated by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

 

Prior to joining OfficeMax, Thacker served as president and CEO of BBDO Minneapolis. Earlier, in the retail sector, he was senior vice president of marketing services at Sears Roebuck and before that he was Target Corporation’s vice president of marketing. At Target he is credited with bringing designer Michael Graves to the retailer’s shelves. He also launched the Target brand in new markets and brought Target to a new level of consumer loyalty and national recognition.

 

Thacker is also recognized as a pioneer in the area of cause marketing. During his career, he has created successful campaigns to restore the Washington Monument, protect the environment, save the national parks and put an end to teacher-funded classrooms. Thacker was also the first national advertiser to hire people with disabilities as models and spokespeople in advertising.

 

His awards include the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal as the Minnesota Advertising Man of the Year. He was twice selected by Advertising Age as one of the top 100 marketers in the nation. He has also been inducted into the Retail Hall of Fame and was selected by Advertising Age as one of the top 24 media authorities in the industry.

 

Thacker lectures and teaches extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Africa. This past year he was profiled in BusinessWeek, Fast Company, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.