Advertising Whitewash Of Modern Tom Sawyers

With BTO’s “Takin’ Care Of Business” blasting through your television speakers, Office Depot’s new spots would have you believe “We’re the leaders in mobile computer technology.” It’s a classic Tom ‘n Huck whitewash job to cover over what’s really there (and hoping no one will notice.)

“We’re the leaders in mobile computer technology.”

Oh real-ly?

I thought they were an office supply store. Didn’t you?

I wonder how Dell . . . HP . . . Intel . . . Sony . . . and Toshiba feel about that positioning statement? Did they know that one of their consumer channels is actually a competitor?

I’d say not.

Seems they all have a competitor on the field that none of them were aware of — along with most of us consumers.

Have you ever been to one of these office supply superstores to get any kind of high-tech hardware? If you can find someone who can talk to you intelligently about it (and that’s a mighty big “if”), then it turns out they have zero useful experience because they don’t own one.

Why don’t they own one? Because they can’t afford one on their minimum wage salary, and if they do have one then mommy or daddy bought it for them to make still living at home palatable — for all parties.

But I digress.

Now, realistically . . . maybe, just maybe Office Depot is the leading retailer of “mobile computer technology.” Yeah, I’d give them that. But the other . . . like I said — whitewash job designed to obscure the facts.

Maybe they should just stick with their Easy Button and dispense with the rest. ROI easy button