Kinkos to launch new ad campaign during Oscars

      NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - Photocopy company Kinko's is planning to launch a new $30 million advertising campaign during next Sunday's Academy Awards, using a major television event to tell consumers about the company's expanded range of products and services.
      The ads will be the company's first in a year and will target both business and non-commercial customers, Kinko's officials said.
      ``The Academy Awards were a natural fit for us because our consumers are very time compressed,´´ Laura Kurzu, Kinko´s vice president of marketing, told Reuters in an interview. ``They make time in their schedules to watch events like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards.´´
      Events like the Academy Awards draw huge viewership, ideal for a new campaign, she said.
      The ad campaign will feature a new character, Kenny, played by Ryan Stiles, who is part of the cast of the ABC network's comedy series ``The Drew Carey Show.´´ The ads, created by marketing communications giant Omnicom Group Inc.´s (NYSE:OMC - news) TBWA/Chiat/Day in San Francisco, come with the tag line, ``Kinko´s - We´re Doing More.´´
      A special 60-second spot entitled ``Nightmare´´ will air during the show, during which Kenny, the helpful Kinko employee, dreams that he is trapped in a black-and-white world without Kinko´s. But he awakens with relief to find that it was just a bad dream and that he can give customers the color posters and banners, commercial business and digital photo services they need.
      ``What this does is set him up as a character,´´ Kurzu said. ``It becomes his mission in life to tell people what Kinko´s does.´´
      That will be followed up with 30-second spots of the same ads on major television shows like ``The West Wing.´´ Kinko´s also will air two different 30-second spots with its partners FedEx Corp.´s (NYSE:FDX - news) FedEx Express and AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:AOL - news).
      Kinko's also will run print ads in business and lifestyle magazines such as Forbes, Fortune and Oprah and radio commercials in selected local markets as part of its year-long campaign.

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