When was the last time you thought about the office supply store? Exactly. Probably only when the printer you share with seven other co-workers unexpectedly runs out of toner. Then, because it’s an emergency (it’s always an emergency), someone draws the short straw.
Off to Staples they go.
Now imagine that you get to shop with the woman the internet has dubbed the “Staples Baddie.” She’s taken the mundane chore of stocking up the office inventory and made it fun. And the internet is taking notice.
Kaeden (@oblivion) has TikTok video views regularly going into the hundreds of thousands.
‘A Masterclass In Marketing’
TikToker Mandy (@mandynotamanda) offers the opinion that “Staples could not pay for this kind of marketing.” Though she amends her statement to acknowledge that they actually could, she’s more concerned with breaking down why Kaeden is so successful: The content “is hilarious, genuine, and current.”
Then she points out how this content mirrors the actual Staples experience, as there’s at least “one baddie in every store and one lady over the age of 70 who is the nicest woman you’ve ever met in your life.”
So, what exactly is Kaeden doing? Well, a tour of her TikTok page is also a tour of many of the products and services offered by the office supply company.
But it’s all in her delivery. In one of her pinned posts, Kaeden says, “It’s come to my attention that y’all don’t really know the full scope of what Staples, like, does. We can make ornaments. We can make mugs, shirts, backpacks, signs, posters, whatever you could need. A banner that’s like eight feet long? Sure. Why not?” she says.
Everyone Is Running Out To Staples
In a comment on that same video, Curtis Crimmins (@curtiscrimmins) jokes, “As far as I’m concerned this is the President and CEO of Staples.
While Chrissy (@chrissy98765) writes on Mandy’s post, “Staples baddie made me want to shop at staples.”
As for Kaeden herself, she’s just getting tons of love and, in the process, converting folks to an office-space lifestyle. One recent video about a label maker has Haily (@haaiilyy) admitting, “Do I need a label maker?? No. Am I considering getting one just so I can run around with it?? Yes.”
The Supply Store You Didn’t Know You Needed?
At the core of Kaeden’s online success is her apparent love of her job and the fun she has doing it. Making the mundane enjoyable? To be honest, that’s transformational.
As one TikToker commented, “She needs to run their marketing department. She explains all the services and loves shipping as much as I do.”
It works because she’s somehow inherently trustworthy. You feel like you’re being sold to. And, because she’s funny without being “wacky.” It’s like running boring errands with your work bestie, who makes everything better.
And that might be part of a shift toward “human-first media.”
MarketerMilk explains, “People buy things from people they trust, not from businesses. It all comes down to human connection.” This also reflects the influence of the YouTube content creator world that started decades ago.
Concurrently, there’s a corporate strategy leveraging the skills, creativity, and singular personalities of their employees. Companies are “leveraging their existing employees to become influencers.”
What Does Staples Think?
What does this mean for Kaeden’s relationship with her employer? Well, the verified Staples account commented on a post saying, “What she said.”
We can extrapolate that even in an age of AI everything, humans are still most interested in other humans. Advertising Week explains that authenticity breeds connection.
Consider this: “Emotional connection drives up to 70% of consumer decision-making.” Wild, right? People buy stuff from people they actually like.
Maybe it really is time for new label makers.
BroBible reached out to Staples via their corporate press contact and to Kaeden via her email and TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if they reply to us.
@blivxx We do mugs and travel cups TAP INNNN