Xerox happy to welcome other brands into its latest ad campaign

Xerox is gambling a little bit, some believe, by featuring some of its clients in a new advertising campaign. Called "Ready for Real Business," the campaign will showcase big-name brand icons, like Mr. Clean and the Target bulldog, from companies that employ Xerox for generic office labor. Young & Rubicam will make the initial print and TV ads, and the range of brands Xerox is partnering with is pretty wide, including a hotel chain, a motorcycle manufacturer and the University of Notre Dame. The supposed risk with this kind of advertising is twofold: Other brands don't want to play second fiddle to Xerox, and Xerox doesn't want those familiar brands overshadowing its own. No use spending millions on a campaign if everyone who sees it walks away singing the Notre Dame fight song. But Xerox's chief marketing officer, Christa Carone, is optimistic, mentioning to Forbes that some execs wanted to see their brands promoted in media where Xerox advertises but consumer brands don't. I'm still somewhat repulsed by multiple brands occupying the same ads, though. It seems a bit like cousins kissing to me.