THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 12-17-06: CONSUMED; Ad Play

New York Times, December 17, 2006 — About two years ago, the office-supply chain Staples began a new advertising campaign. According to Shira Goodman, Staples' top marketing executive, the chain decided to peddle the perception that it's a particularly easy place to shop. ''All of our ad gurus got together and said, 'How do we make this amorphous concept of ''easy'' very tangible, so our consumers can really hang on to it?'