Writing copy that gets consumers excited: case study

Office supplies and ad copy

If you have seen an episode of “The Office,” you know that paper products and office supplies can be anything but exciting. In fact, the business is so boring that the comedy revolves around the poor management of an under-enthusiastic company in a dying industry.

But what if you gave a company $6 million and unlimited creativity to make the irrelevant interesting? Think you can’t be sold sticky notes or pens or get excited about a pad of paper or a dry erase board? Think again.

Enter Poppin.com which has brought together a team of creatives that serves as an insanely useful and shining example of how to make any ad copy creative – even on something that most people find mundane.

Let’s compare some descriptions

Read through this list and you will find inspiration to go revamp your web copy, flyers, print ads, social media profiles and everything else – clever copy is hard to execute, but poppin.com has got it goin’ on!

Sticky notes:

• “Ideal for temporarily marking pages in books and reference materials.” – OfficeMax.com
• “Adhesive backing makes notes defy gravity, as if by magic.” – Poppin.com

Ballpoint pens:

• “New boldly colored metal barrels in trendy colors. Fun, boldly colored metal barrels. Traditional nonslip grip. Stainless steel pocket grip.” – OfficeMax.com
• “Plastic’s so passé. Turn things up to 11 with this metal pen. Solid brass barrel, feels oh-so-money in your hands. Swiss ink, ’cause they know what they’re doing. Medium tip writes like a dream.” – Poppin.com

Small notebook:

• “With its subtle swirl design, this spiral notebook adds a touch of style to your everyday note taking. The plastic front and back cover and double-coil binding provide durability, while the inside pocket helps keep small notes in one place.” – Staples.com
• “It’s irresistible. Francisco in Accounting eyed you at the water cooler chatting with Jenny while clutching your white notebook. If it goes missing, you know whose desk to check.” – Poppin.com

Dry erase markers:

• “Low-odor formula. Chisel tips write narrow or broad lines. AP-certified non-toxic. Black ink” – Quill.com
• “Wipes off easily when you write something dumb on a dry-erase board, but stays put when you write something brilliant. One each of red, blue, purple, and black.” – Poppin.com

Ruler:

• “Sturdy, attractive and modern.” – OfficeDepot.com
• “Lines so sleek, design so awesome, colors so vibrant you may find yourself making up excuses to measure everything.” – Poppin.com

Laptop bag:

• “Lightweight case helps to protect your laptop.” – OfficeDepot.com
• “I look like a Madison Avenue accessory, but I’m really just a well-made, well-priced, expertly designed laptop bag with dreamy pockets. You’ll want one in every color.” – Poppin.com

What this means for your business

What is there really to say about office supplies? Here’s a thingy for tape, it sits on your flat desk. There’s a pen, you’ve seen a million of them. No, poppin has figured out the magic ingredients to getting people excited about buying a dang pen.

As a professional, you may have a product that anyone outside of your office finds to be boring, but if poppin.com’s magic can rub off on you, people might just share your enthusiasm for your product!

About Poppin:
“Poppin, Inc is an innovative office products company defined by an exceptional customer experience and beautiful product designs. It is privately held and financed by J. Christopher Burch, Shasta Ventures, First Round Capital and a group of angel investors. Poppin intends to become the first company that makes buying, using, looking at, and thinking about office products an extraordinary experience.

Founded in September 2009, Poppin’s mission is to provide both individuals and businesses with the tools they need to be happy at work. Poppin promises eye poppin products, jaw droppin prices and mind bogglin service to create an extraordinary customer experience. The company launched their E-commerce site in Beta (www.poppin.com) in June 2011. Poppin plans to have an official brand and website launch in Summer 2012.”