Borders to Consumers: 'It's The Thought That Counts'

The agency that put a mutant bat boy in a Mini for BMW pits gift wrap and book critics against electric toasters for Borders, as the chain looks to gain ground on category leader Barnes & Noble this Christmas.

The nation’s second-largest bookstore operator launched a print and outdoor effort yesterday from Maxxcom’s Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the first work from the Venice, Calif., shop since it won the $15 million account in September. To differentiate itself in the category, the effort departs from Borders’ previous price-oriented strategy, seeking to show how much more meaningful gifts such as books, movies or music are than more generic presents such as toasters, said CP+B creative director Tim Roper.

As the Miami office did with the much-lauded 2002 launch of BMW’s Mini, CP+B uses an offbeat media strategy to compensate for a limited budget.