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Xerox completes corporate split, gives 'Brother Dominic' ad a 21st century update

Xerox announced a year ago plans to split its services business and legacy hardware operations into two separate, publicly-traded companies.
Written by Natalie Gagliordi, Contributor
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Xerox completed its corporate split this week and to mark the occasion has released another version of its iconic "Brother Dominic" 1977 Super Bowl ad -- only this one's been updated for the digital age.

In the original commercial, Brother Dominic is asked to make 500 copies of a handwritten, multi-page manuscript, and he turns to the Xerox 9200 duplicating system for help. The Xerox 9200 was once the copier giant's crown jewel, touted at the time for its ability to print and assemble document sets at two pages a second.

In the latest spot, a new Brother Dominic is again asked to create 500 manuscript copies, but this time translated into 35 languages, personalized and "shared across the seven continents." Again turning to Xerox, this tech-savvy monk uses Xerox's apps and printers to translate and share the document digitally across laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

"The ad is the first manifestation of a new communications platform that will be anchored by the tagline Set the Page Free," said Xerox CMO Toni Clayton-Hine. "It offers a nod to Xerox's heritage, reflects our present and embraces our future by showing how Xerox has evolved to help companies connect both the physical and digital world through personalization, apps, automation, and security."

Xerox announced a year ago plans to split its services business and legacy hardware operations into two separate, publicly-traded companies. The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company now operates as Conduent, with the core Document Technology company retaining the original Xerox monicker.

As of January 1, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns was replaced by Jeff Jacobson, who represented Xerox at a ceremonial bell ringing at the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, along with other Xerox employees.

Previously, Xerox said it expected the separation to create an $11 billion document technology company with 40,000 employees, and a $7 billion BPO company. The transition into two companies forced Xerox to prune its workforce several times last year, and more cuts could come as Jacobson works to improve operational efficiencies and spur growth.

Prior to the split, Xerox saw revenue decline for multiple quarters, and net income fell every year since 2011. But with a little help from its highly recognizable brand name, and its new streamlined operating structure, Xerox hopes it can return to profit and become a managed print services powerhouse for the future.

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