How OpenFortune Helped Staples Crack the Code on In-Store Foot Traffic

Staples: It’s the place you’ve probably panic-bought printer ink at least once in your life (after ignoring the low ink alert several months straight).

The office-supply retailer is well-known for its paper reams and ergonomic desk furniture. But re-inventing itself as the go-to hub for everything professional takes more than just pumping out a few “check us out!” ads. 

Staples needed a memorable way to broadcast how customers’ favorite supply store just leveled up. A reinvented rewards program aimed to make every foot-traffic visit feel like a win, plus an innovative line of new services and products – from business travel services to advanced marketing and printer solutions, even notary help – sought to elevate the whole experience beyond in-store and online competitors’ offerings.

Rebrands are always exciting, on paper and in boardrooms. But after years of being seen as simply the “place for paper,” convincing online-default consumers that your stores are built different is an especially tall order.

That pressure is even more real in today’s retail reality. National retail foot traffic for traditional supply stores has been on the steady decline for years, largely thanks to e-commerce convenience, shifting work habits, and rising wholesale market share.

All this meant Staples couldn’t simply rebrand. It wouldn’t be enough to launch fresh signage and logos, or pump out a few snappy commercials. The retailer had to reintroduce itself in ways that connected and resonated with shoppers, and sparked enough rebrand curiosity to move people through the door.

The goals were clear:

• Capture and broadcast the spirit of Staples’ rebrand meaningfully.

• Drive awareness surrounding new in-store, brick-and-mortar services.

• Drive real-world foot traffic, boost service familiarity, and incentivize rewards program adoption.

Who knew the answer to, “How do we get more people excited about our stores?” would come wrapped inside a fortune cookie?

OpenFortune did, that’s who.

The duo decided to hone a launch campaign delivering 311,000 cookies to Staples’ future fans across greater Atlanta, where some of Staples' very first innovative, reimagined retail centers were soon launching.

The campaign devised checked all the boxes:

• Over 300,000 cookies distributed to popular local Atlanta restaurants, and particularly ones situated within 5 miles of Staples stores.

• Creative fortune cookie slips, the front teasing rewards and surprises for store visits; the back featuring vibrant, upbeat messages highlighting Staples’ latest new services (travel hubs, marketing centers, etc.)

• Intentionally placed QR codes to incentivize shopping. Every slip included a bold “Cash In" CTA and an easy-scan QR code, sending curious shoppers straight to Staples revamped rewards program sign-up.

Staples’ evolution would turn out to pair beautifully with OpenFortune’s little slips carrying big impact.

Together, the collaboration transformed dinner tables into doorways for consumers to reimagine their retail experience and all that could be accomplished inside their local Staples.

Its fortune cookie campaign cracked open serious results:

• 63% unaided recall: Atlantans wouldn’t just remember Staples vaguely – they’d remember all that Staples now offered.

• 33% started a conversation about Staples’ new products and services, a huge win for a huge rebrand.

• 19% searched Staples new offerings for more information, creating real engagement and driving sign-ups for its revamped loyalty program.

Staples’ success proved how established retail names pairing up with innovative OOH pros is a recipe for serious marketing magic. Even the most traditional brands can rework consumer perception and spark fresh waves of excitement with this level of creativity. It just takes one (fortunate) bet.