Students get ‘Schooled’ by OfficeMax promotion

OfficeMax stores are targeting teens with a free DVD offer connected to the company’s sponsorship of a reality show called “Schooled.” Customers who spend more than $50 on school supplies receive a DVD of the hour-long show, which aired on CW-TV on Aug. 5.

The show featured performances by top 40 rock group The All-American Rejects, whose involvement is an innovative way for Office-Max to target a demographic segment that is increasingly challenging to reach.

The premise behind “Schooled” is that a group of 55 students from New Jersey’s New Milford High School are called back from their summer vacations and told they must pass a difficult state administered test to keep their music department running.

School administrators, teachers, parents and the band are in on the elaborate gag, as hidden cameras capture anxious students trying to secure continued state funding of their music program. The unwary students get a surprise at the end of the show when The All-American Rejects perform.

Participating students received a backpack filled with mp3 players, digital cameras and school supplies, while teachers received new laptops and the school got a $60,000 Office-Max gift card.

“Schooled” was developed to differentiate and drive awareness of the OfficeMax brand during the BTS season. This is the second year OfficeMax has sponsored the program.