• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 15, 2010

In a promotion intended to spark sales of its new La-Z-Boy office chair collection, Office Depot is inviting customers to show off just how decrepit their current home office chairs are.

The "Show Us Your Seat" contest, which runs through June 28, asks participants to send in a photo of their current office chair -- no matter how makeshift, duct-taped, or battered, for the chance to win a La-Z-Boy replacement.

"Throughout the recession, replacing home office furniture wasn't a priority for people -- they had bigger issues to deal with," Jason Shockley, an Office Depot spokesperson, tells Marketing Daily. "Now they're looking to replace damaged and dated chairs, and believe me, we are seeing some really sorry-looking seats."

Other office supply chains, including Staples, also saw sales decline in office furniture during the downturn. Shockley says the Boca Raton, Fla.-based chain has responded by shifting its furniture mix slightly to more modular furniture.

"We've moved away from bigger office desks and hutches to smaller pieces with quick and easy assembly, so they're more compact, transportable, and affordable." The La-Z-Boy chair, in either black or brown leather, costs $299, he says, but other chairs at the chain start as low as $49.

Shockley says the company is promoting the contest via public relations and social media efforts, including Twitter and Facebook, and consumers can enter unique chair photos at www.showusyourseat.com, where the company is also highlighting a "seat of the day."