• by David Goetzl , November 28, 2006

A marketer looking to use product integration to help it tear up the competition might take a page from Staples. The office-supply giant's insertion of its potent MailMate shredder into a recent episode of NBC comedy "The Office" was about as good as it gets in branded entertainment.

Not only did Staples insert what it bills as "The Junk Mail Destroyer" into the show in such a way that a consumer would hardly know it was a paid plug, but it engineered what could be the Holy Grail of product placement: A demonstration of how cool (for lack of a better word) the MailMate is. And making something as generic as an office shredder seem appealing is no small feat.

In the Nov. 16 episode, the character Kevin, a low-key but mischievous accountant at paper company Dunder-Mifflin, somewhat morosely says how little responsibility he has on the job. But, he adds: "They do let me shred the company documents, and that is really all I need."

He then ferociously begins using the MailMate--Staples says it offers "ferocious shredding power for identity theft protection"--while speaking to the audience at the same time ("The Office" is done in faux documentary fashion, where the characters often speak to the camera as if they're being interviewed by a journalist.)

Barely able to restrain himself, Kevin (played by Brian Baumgartner) says: "This thing is so awesome! It will shred anything!" (The integration was one of the top-ranked product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX.)

Then, he begins a product demonstration that may well have led to a near-immediate bump in sales. Proudly, Kevin shows how the MailMate will shred a CD, and even a credit card. He's so passionate that he willingly pulls one of his credit cards out of his wallet and sacrifices it by dropping it through the machine.

The CD and credit card demo is what makes the product placement so effective. Who knew that state-of-the-art shredders can pulverize more than a bank statement?

And the marketing pitch--that the MailMate is groundbreaking and can splice things one wouldn't expect--appears to come straight out of the Staples catalogue. On its Web site, the retailer touts the machine's ability to destroy CDs and DVDs and credit cards.

Also, "Kevin" does a sterling job of making the process of shredding look fun. His enthusiasm and mannerisms go a long way toward inspiring someone to shell out the $69.99 for the contraption, if for no other reason than to drop a pile of CDs in and watch what happens.

Taking advantage of that, the Staples Web site features an opportunity for virtual use of a MailMate as visitors can do their own "slicing and dicing" by dragging a photo, CD or credit card into the "machine" and watching what happens. All the while, "The Office" theme song plays in the background, as Staples looks to extend the value of its integration. In YouTube fashion, a visitor can send the "demo/game" to a friend.

On the show, the whole scene is funny and effective--and it fits in organically. After Kevin has shown the machine's practical benefits, in keeping with the wonderfully twisted humor of "The Office," he drops salad leaves into the MailMate.

Then, he pulls out the bottom refuse bin which has a full salad ready to eat. After pouring on dressing, a coworker enters and asks, "Where'd you get that salad?"

"Staples," he says.

Perfectly wry, perfectly in character. A seamless punchline to a first-rate product placement.