THE OXFORD ADVERTISING STORY
MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF COMMUNICATION
Since the 1970s, Oxford has been building a universe and forging strong ties with its users by means of an advertising story based on the idea of “Power in your hands”. In its latest films, teenagers assess the reliability of its notebooks in a series of product tests.
1973: OXFORD, NOTEBOOKS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Oxford stages a dialogue between two teachers to demonstrate the quality of the paper of its notebooks and showcase how it’s bringing innovation to the school diary.
1978: THE LIONS
In this commercial, the Oxford Lions come to life and embody the brand’s qualities and values.
1987: FORDOX
Set in the 1980s, this advert highlights all the qualities of Oxford’s notebooks through the lyrics of a swinging kind of music.
1992: SUCCESS DEPENDS ON OXFORD
This advert illustrates the ambition of the new generations of their time, who are supported by Oxford on their road to success.
2002: THE LIBRARY
In a university library that seems to have been directly inspired by a Harry Potter film, two young students, a boy and a girl, achieve extraordinary feats thanks to their Oxford notebooks and take each other on in a merciless duel. All they need to do is write an order in their Oxford notebook for it to come to life and strike their opponent. Their Oxford notebook represents their willpower and determination to fulfil their desires. Expressing themselves in an Oxford notebook means much more than taking notes. It’s also a way of materialising their ideas, projecting themselves through their wishes and completing their projects.
2007: THE WIND
While sitting on a bench, a young girl finds herself suddenly plunged into a parallel world and the wind flips through the pages of her notebook to release her dreams, fears and desires. Switching successively from a battlefield to a sailing boat and from a nightclub to a university auditorium, the young student finally finds herself faced with life choices. She understands that she’ll require strength and determination to undertake her future and achieve full success in her life. The values she can feel are those of the Oxford brand.
2010: THE STAIRS
A secondary school student who’s in a hurry drops her Oxford NoteBook on the stairs. The notebook then begins to come to life, unleashing all the imagination of the young girl depicted in it. The stairs are gradually invaded by fish, jellyfish, a car, butterflies and a wedding dress, and the young girl’s dreams are released by her Oxford notebook, which falls down the stairs and reaches the hands of one of her teachers, who returns it to her. The young girl then understands that her Oxford notebook is providing her with the chance to make her dreams come true: “write it, do it”.
2013: SHINING PARK
A group of friends, boys and girls, take on a crazy challenge: to slalom through the night on longboard skateboards with the sole glow of the bright clothes they’re wearing. This is their Big Project. To enjoy an extraordinary, unique moment that makes them vibrate in unison and drives them to excel. The concentration in the preparation of the challenge, the search for ideas, the intelligence and the resourcefulness when it comes to finding solutions reflect their passion for freely living their dreams to the full. Oxford accompanies them throughout their journey, because committing their dreams to their favourite notebook is also a way of believing in themselves and achieving their own excellence. With Oxford, excellence is fun and strong when it’s experienced intensely and shared with friends.
2014: THE LIBRARY
The film titled The Library (2002) returns to the screens to express Oxford’s new slogan, “Power in your hands”. Because working and studying with the right tools inspires success and heightens self-confidence.
2015: THE FLYING NOTEBOOKS
“Thanks to Oxford SOS Notes, the content of your notebooks can follow you everywhere.”
Oxford’s flying notebooks highlight an innovation designed to support the mobility of young people. In 2015, the SOS Notes app, part of the Oxford Student range, makes it possible to save the contents of notebooks on a mobile phone, so they can be easily viewed and shared. This campaign illustrates this innovation by making Oxford notebooks fly using drones that follow young people around the city.
2016: COOL ROBOT - NEVER GIVE UP
“Oxford, alongside those who don’t let anything go”
In 2016, Oxford finds an original way of reaching a young and connected audience. A new campaign headed by an unlikely hero: a touching robot with a simple story. Like a new pupil at a school, it wants to fit in. To be accepted, it seeks perfect mastery of the handshake, a “cool” greeting that’s carefully choreographed by the youngsters. In its desire to succeed, it represents us all. Its solution is to learn something new. It takes time, practice and a fair number of failures, but, with the right tools, it finally achieves its goal.
2018: OPTIK PAPER® TEST
In these latest films, teenagers test the reliability, quality and robustness of Oxford notebooks and their OPTIK PAPER® paper. To do so, they set up a series of product tests and trials. For example, firing a foam projectile soaked in ink onto an Oxford notebook to find out whether the paper can withstand the ink and that it doesn’t seep through it.