Staples Unveils a 'Hard Button' — the Dark Twin of Its Easy Button — to Sell B2B Services
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Staples has introduced a 'Hard Button' — a comedic counterpart to its iconic Easy Button — to anchor a bigger push repositioning itself as an enterprise B2B services provider.
A Dark Twin for a 20-Year Icon
Staples detailed its 'Hard Button' campaign on 17 September 2026. The button dramatizes workplace mishaps — one execution features a sign misprinted as 'Golf Sharts' — to contrast chaos with the business solutions Staples wants to sell.
It is a deliberate inversion of the Easy Button, the brand asset Staples has owned for two decades, now conscripted to a new job.
Repositioning for B2B
CMO Bob Sherwin, who joined in June 2025, framed the Hard Button as 'a platform more than just a campaign.' The media plan spans YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, LinkedIn and Meta, plus out-of-home billboards and in-building elevator signage aimed at decision-makers.
Staples already works with around 75% of Fortune 500 companies and operates more than 900 stores; its challenge is perception, not awareness.
Nostalgia With a Purpose
Mining a beloved 20-year-old advertising icon to reframe the brand for a B2B audience is a shrewd bet: it borrows instant recognition while signalling that the company has evolved beyond the retail store.
The elevator and LinkedIn placements make the target obvious — this is a campaign built to reach the people who sign enterprise contracts, not shoppers buying pens.
Marketing Minute's Take
Reviving a dormant brand asset is one of the cheapest routes to attention — the recognition is already paid for. Staples is using the Hard Button to change what buyers think it sells, which is harder than raising awareness. The test is whether the punchline consistently lands on 'so Staples handles this for you,' not just on the gag.
Quick FAQ
What is the Staples 'Hard Button' campaign?
A campaign built around a comedic 'Hard Button' — the opposite of Staples' iconic Easy Button — that dramatizes workplace mishaps to reposition Staples as an enterprise B2B services provider.
Who is behind the Staples repositioning?
CMO Bob Sherwin, who joined in June 2025 and describes the Hard Button as a platform rather than a one-off campaign.
Why is Staples focusing on B2B?
It already serves around 75% of the Fortune 500 and runs 900-plus stores, so its challenge is perception — being seen as a business-services provider, not just a store — rather than awareness.
Reviving a dormant brand asset is the cheapest attention money can buy — the recognition is already paid for. The hard part isn't the gag; it's making every laugh resolve on 'so Staples handles this for you.' Nostalgia gets you noticed. Discipline on the punchline is what actually repositions the brand. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: reviving a beloved brand asset is a cheap route to attention — but every execution must resolve on the new positioning, not just the joke.
Do you have a dormant brand asset you could revive to reframe what buyers think you sell?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Dive (Staples/CMO interview).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
