STORY BEHIND THE AD: Kinko's

This campaign was part of my career before I even had a career.

I was a junior in college. I hadn’t even had my first internship yet, but I did have an assignment for my copywriting class at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University: Do a campaign for a business near campus.

But rather than create ads just for class and keep them in my black faux-leather “book,” I decided to walk down to Marshall Street and talk to the manager at Kinko’s.

Turns out, they were just about to buy some space in the Daily Orange *and* put up some flyers, as they were hiring for the big end-of-year rush.

So, I created my first campaign ever.  Three recruitment ads for Kinko’s. And while my art direction left a lot to be desired, I definitely nailed the copy. I got an “A,” I got my first published campaign under my belt, and I even got paid with a “copy card” (remember those?) with $100 on it. That’s a LOT of copies.

And that’s why this quaint little campaign is still in my portfolio today.

© 2024 Kwame DeRoché