Stan and Jerry Spread the News About Ricoh Dependability
West Caldwell, NJ, November 18, 2005 - Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, recently launched a new print advertising campaign, “Two-Guys.” Created by Gigante Vaz Partners of New York City, the ads cleverly use two characters – Stan and Jerry – to deliver the message that Ricoh provides dependable solutions in our fast-paced business world. Stan and Jerry always speak to Ricoh dependability at the office water cooler – suggesting an office setting without revealing any particular work environment. The “Two-Guys” campaign is running in publications such as PC World, CIO, InformationWeek and Computerworld.
Utilizing dialogue to highlight the product benefits, the “Two-Guys” campaign was created in the style of comedic greats Abbott and Costello and Burns and Allen. Jerry is the serious character who sets up the situation, and Stan is the funny man who delivers the punch line, often at Jerry’s expense. The print portion of the campaign runs on two-consecutive half pages so readers will see that the lines between Stan and Jerry will change from issue to issue, enabling the campaign to address questions about office equipment.
“The ‘Two-Guys’ campaign is a natural evolution of Ricoh’s advertising strategy, ‘Ricoh moves your ideas forward dependably,’” said Mark Pollack, vice president, Product Marketing and Marketing Support for Ricoh Corporation. “Stan and Jerry offer additional potential beyond print advertising. We are sending the duo to our dealers this fall to help them leverage the power of this national campaign in their markets.”
In early December, dealers will receive “Two-Guys” field marketing kits that include almost life-size stand-up cut-outs of Stan and Jerry, Dixie® cups for their water coolers, posters, memo pads and other demo room materials. Television commercials that tie into the campaign will break in 2006.
“We set out to develop an advertising campaign that would build upon the success of Ricoh’s ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ television commercials by making the world of document management an entertaining one,” said Paul Gigante, co-founder and creative director of Gigante Vaz Partners Inc. “We hope Stan and Jerry will prove to be characters that will connect with readers, effectively communicating Ricoh’s message of ‘dependability’ to the business community."
About Ricoh Corporation
Ricoh Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 69-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2004 sales in excess of $17 billion, a 1.9 percent increase over the previous year.
Ricoh Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents. Ricoh’s line of document management devices include, color and black & white digital imaging systems, facsimile products, printers, scanners, digital duplicators and wide format engineering systems. Additionally, Ricoh offers a wide variety of document and printing solutions directly and through strategic alliances enhancing office productivity and document workflow. Ricoh’s document management software enhances workgroup collaboration and offers secure storage, retrieval and sharing of critical information.
Ricoh Corporation directly or through its subsidiaries markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America. For fiscal year 2004, Ricoh Corporation sales exceeded $2.9 billion, an increase of 6.9 percent over the previous year.
Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.ricoh-usa.com.
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