Staples and The Office When Staples introduced a new $69.99 papershredding
device called the MailMate in 2006, the company struck a two-episode deal with
NBC’s popular television program, The Office. In the first episode, the character Kevin Malone
was given the responsibility of shredding paper with the MailMate; in the second, another character,
Dwight Schrute, took a job at Staples. The writers and producers of the show tried to accommodate
Staples’ marketing objectives for the product as much as possible. To make sure the shredder
looked small enough, it sat on Kevin’s desk. To emphasize the shredder was sturdy, Kevin shredded not only
paper but also his credit card. To emphasize that the shredder was available only at Staples, the episode
closed with Kevin shredding lettuce and making it into a salad. When a colleague asked where he got the
salad, he replied, “Staples.