I had a great visit with Bob Thacker, senior vice president of marketing and advertising at OfficeMax, for a recent episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Bob is the inspiration behind some very clever viral campaigns of late for office supply retail giant.

I wrote earlier about the “Penny Pranks” hidden camera series of videos featuring a comedian trying to make purchases around New York City using nothing but pennies. The videos were very successful and highlighted the chain’s back to school message. I think this is a very solid example of the use of viral video that even the smallest business can follow.

Thacker is also associated with the chain’s well documented “Elf Yourself” campaign. While this campaign was far more successful in terms of traffic and awareness, it was far less tied directly to a message or theme that could help sales and much more of an attempt at brand awareness, a much tougher play for the small business. Look for the elves to return in some fashion once again in Q4!

This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is brought to you by att.com/onwardsmallbiz. Resources for the small business owner.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Penny Pranks – Office Max ad campaign