FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ricoh Web Site: www.ricoh-usa.com
CONTACT: Russell Marchetta Laura Jensen
Ricoh Corporation Peppercom
(973) 882-2075 (212) 931-6127
russell.marchetta@ricoh-usa.com ljensen@peppercom.com
RICOH CORPORATION LAUNCHES
“IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD” NATIONAL TELEVISION AD CAMPAIGN
West Caldwell, NJ, April 7, 2005 - Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced the launch of an ambitious new television advertising campaign using the song, “It’s A Wonderful World” by Peggy Lee. Created by Gigante Vaz Partners of New York City, the ads debuted on April 3rd during Major League Baseball’s season opener between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Budget for the Major League Baseball advertising portion of the campaign is approximately $15 million.
The object of the campaign is to reach Information Technology professionals who exert great influence over the purchase of office imaging devices and is looking for providers who deliver real business value and return on investment for customers.
The three new television spots use the classic Peggy Lee song, “It’s A Wonderful World.” The music serves as a backdrop for the slice of life scenes depicting office workers using Ricoh products to ensure projects are completed efficiently and effectively. This campaign builds on the success of last year’s advertising program, which used the Louis Armstrong song, “I Get Ideas” to make a connection with customers that Ricoh devices help them “Move Ideas Forward.”
All of the spots portray office life in a real, natural way. This year’s evolution is to use light comedy that will ring true to anyone who has worked in an office environment. All of the spots reinforce Ricoh’s key benefit of dependability, illustrating that while an office environment can often be hectic and unpredictable, Ricoh products continue to do their job, providing proven results.
“We are building on the success of last year’s “I Get Ideas” campaign that has been credited with increasing consideration of Ricoh by almost 40%,” said Mark Pollack, vice president, Product Marketing and Marketing Support for Ricoh Corporation. “By using songs by Peggy Lee and Louis Armstrong last year, and showing every day office life, we are building an emotional connection between Ricoh and our customers,” Pollack added.
“This year we are capitalizing on the likeability of the Ricoh brand, which was a key factor in last year's success,” said Paul Gigante, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Gigante Vaz Partners Inc. “We are going deeper into the companies portrayed in the initial spots to find vignettes that entertain and deliver the important attribute of Ricoh dependability.”
The new spots will run during pre, post, and in-game baseball game broadcasts by Fox Sports Network and the YES Network throughout the 2005 Major League Baseball season.
About Gigante Vaz Partners
Gigante Vaz Partners is a dynamic, full service agency that has helped build strong and meaningful brand identities for brands through compelling and powerful creative that creates a unique link to the consumer. For more information about Gigante Vaz Partners, please find us on the web at www.gigantevaz.com.
About Ricoh Corporation
Ricoh Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 69-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2003 sales in excess of $17.1 billion.
Ricoh Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents. Ricoh’s line of document management devices include, color and black & white digital imaging systems, facsimile products, printers, scanners, digital duplicators and wide format engineering systems. Additionally, Ricoh offers a wide variety of document and printing solutions directly and through strategic alliances enhancing office productivity and document workflow. Ricoh’s document management software enhances workgroup collaboration and offers secure storage, retrieval and sharing of critical information.
Ricoh Corporation directly or through its subsidiaries markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America. For fiscal year 2003, Ricoh Corporation sales exceeded $2.8 billion.
Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.ricoh-usa.com.
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