final imc 610 project

SHEELER:THEHOMEDEPOTIMCPLAN

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Integrated Marketing Communications Plan

Brooke Sheeler West Virginia University

IMC 610 Fall 2016


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Executive Summary This proposed plan is aimed at creating an integrated marketing and communications campaign

for National Home Improvement Day. This three-month campaign is geared specifically toward

a 30-32-year-old target market interested in DIY home improvement. This campaign will

generate an increase in sales, growth in customer base, increase in brand awareness, and

customer loyalty. This campaign will involve the use of paid, earned and owned media to meet

these four objectives. Chip and Joanna Gaines will be used as the spokespeople due to their

strong and positive presence in the Home Improvement Industry. The campaign will also use

measurement tactics both before and after to generate its effectiveness at meeting the overall

campaign goals.


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Table of Contents

ExecutiveSummary 2TableofContents 3

BackgroundInformation 4CoreValues 4MissionStatement 6FinancialStatus 6Services,ProductsandPricing 6CurrentMarketingCommunicationStrategies 7Competitors 10

SWOTAnalysis 12

TargetAudience 13

CampaignObjectivesandStrategies 14MarketingObjectives 14MarketingStrategies 14

IntegratedCreativeStrategyStatement,CreativeBrief,CreativeExecution 15RationalBeliefs 15EmotionalBeliefs 15CreativeBrief 16CreativeExecution 17

PaidMediaPlan 18MediaObjectives 18MediaStrategies 18MediaTactics 19FlowChart 23

EarnedandOwnedMediaPlan 24Objectives 24Strategies 24Tactics 25

MeasurementandEvaluationPlan 28

Conclusion 31

Citations 32


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Background Information The Home Depot is a home improvement store that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia

when Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were fired from Handy Dan Home Improvement Centers

on April 14, 1978. After sitting down in a coffee shop and talking about their future, they

decided they wanted to start the now dominating brand, The Home Depot. With the assistance of

investment banker Ben Langone and merchandising guru Pat Farrah, The Home Depot began

with two store openings in Atlanta, Georgia on June 22, 1979.

The goal of these stores were to not just offer merchandise for consumers to buy, but also

give them help with every aspect of their DIY project. Marus and Blank wanted The Home

Depot to offer assistance in every form possible to tackle a project from start to finish. The floor

associates underwent training to become the best Home Improvement store in Atlanta.

Since the opening, The Home Depot now has 2,276 retail stores in all 50 states, the

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Guam and Canada. The

company employs over 385,000 people from corporate positions to sales associates in the

individual stores. The company has grown tremendously and will continue to develop and

prosper as years go on (The Home Depot, 2016).

Core Values To fully convey what values The Home Depot corporation stands by, a value wheel was

developed. The following values that The Home Depot stands by are (Our Values, 2016):

1. Taking Care of Our People

2. Respect for All People

3. Doing the Right Thing

4. Building Strong Relationships


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5. Giving Back

6. Excellent Customer Service

7. Creating Shareholder Value

8. Entrepreneurial Spirit

Essentially, The Home Depot aims to make sure customers are taken care of in every

sense. They get the help that need when shopping, they find everything that they are looking for

and online shopping is a breeze. The Home Depot also strives to always show respect for all

people. This includes shoppers that come into the store, everybody who sees advertisements, as

well as associates that work in the stores. No discrimination is tolerated and everybody is treated

as an equal person. The Home Depot always aims to doing the right thing in the right manner.

Responsibility is always accepted when it needs to be and everything is handled correctly.

One of the reasons that The Home Depot is respected so well in the business community

is its value of building strong relationships. These are built with individual customers,

communities that stores are in, vendors that work with the company, and associates that work in

the stores. Everybody is treated with equal respect ensuring positive vibes and strengthening the

relationships formed. The Home Depot values giving back and proves that value with their

community relations programs and volunteers called Team Depot. The Home Depot strives to

help those in the military get back on their feet and also hire veterans. They also help disaster

relief with rebuilding and award grants (Community, 2016).

To keep a good business status and gain respect, The Home Depot values excellent

customer service because they know that is what keeps the customers coming back. The Home

Depot also knows that shareholders are a huge part of keeping the company going. They value

this group of people and strive to see a return on investment for their commitment to the


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company. Finally, The Home Depot encourages its employees to do more than just show up to

work every day. They want to see them all making a difference in their community to bring up

good morale. For instance, an associate in New Jersey worked with other locals to create shirts

and a campaign called, “Restore the Store.” This raised money and awareness for the company

during a disaster in the area and he helped raise more than $500,000 towards clean-up efforts

(Our Values, 2016).

Mission Statement

The mission statement for The Home Depot is as follows, “The Home Depot is in the

home improvement business and our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest

selection of products and the most competitive products (Home Depot, 2015).” The mission

statement explains exactly what it wants customers to expect from the organization. When they

shop at The Home Depot, they should get superior service compared to all competitors, a wide

selection of products and they should be at the best price.

Financial Status On October 3, 2016, The Home Depot Inc. stock price was $128.50. Since its opening in

1978, The Home Depot reached total sales of $88.5 billion and earnings of $7.0 billion.

According to the 2015 financial report on the website, there was a 6.4 percent increase in sales

from 2014 and online sales jumping another 25.4% from the prior year. Overall, Home Depot,

Inc. has seen soaring sales that continue to jump and are committed to seeing this grow over the

upcoming years (The Home Depot, 2016).

Services, Products and Pricing The Home Depot offers a wide variety of services for customers to use. They install

everything when it comes to a home. This can range from tile, cabinets, doors, windows, etc. The


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Home Depot also offers a wide variety of products to go along with its services. Customers can

buy the specific product and then the service needed to install it. This make The Home Depot a

one-stop shop for people needing to buy home improvement goods.

As far as pricing goes, The Home Depot offers a low price guarantee to ensure all

customers get the best price around. The Home Depot will offer a price match and beat it by 10%

so customers all always getting the best deal. This goes hand-in-hand with some of the values

that The Home Depot runs its company by. By offering this price guarantee, it shows that The

Home Depot is taking care of its people, respecting all people, doing the right thing, building

relationships, and exhibiting excellent customer service. The Home Depot knows that people

need to save money in order to get their DIY projects done. If they charge high amounts and

refuse to work with their customers, they are going to lost mass amounts of business. This

guarantee shows they care and value their customers while also indicating they want to build

relationships.

For customers to redeem this offer, they must bring the advertisement, printout or photo

for validation to the customer service desk. If shopping online, an associate must be contacted at

1-800-HOME-DEPOT to confirm validation. Only in-store purchases will qualify for the 10%

price match (The Home Depot, 2016).

Current Marketing Communication Strategies

The Home Depot currently engages in community relations, a strong social media

presence, paid sponsorship with their College Game Day segments, television commercials and

their blog. Their community relations efforts focus on honoring veterans in the communities of

their stores, helping with natural disaster relief and partnering with local nonprofits in order to

give back to the community. They have a team of volunteers called Team Depot, that take time


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to give back to the local communities. This can range from showing up for disaster relief efforts

to clean up a town or helping a family in need.

One of The Home Depot, Inc. main missions is to help the veterans who give their lives

to protect American citizens. In order to make a difference, they have donated more than $138

million to veteran related causes since 2011. These projects can be as small as building a ramp at

a veteran’s home to helping to create housing in order to end veteran homelessness. They also

employ more than 35,000 veterans because they feel they deserve jobs (Community, 2016).

The Home Depot also has a strong social media presence with accounts on Twitter,

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. When looking at the Facebook page I noticed a

lot of negative comments people were leaving, saying to go to Lowe’s. However, I did see The

Home Depot responding to these comments and giving them contact information in order to

resolve their issues (Facebook, 2016). On Twitter, I noticed there are separate pages for the

United States, Canada and Mexico. There is also a careers Twitter page in order to help people

apply to jobs and motivational Tweets to get through the work day.

The Home Depot YouTube channel offers a wide array of videos such as stories on army

veterans that they help, how they responded to disaster relief efforts, how-to videos for DIY

projects, tips on decorating and helping with gardening. This channel is a great resource to

anybody who wants to dive into a DIY project or learn about the efforts that The Home Depot is

taking to make a difference in this world. The video they have on the YouTube homepage called,

Celebration of Service – Phoenix, AZ, tells the story of a few employees that previously served

in the armed forces and are now employed at The Home Depot (YouTube, 2015). These

employees are an inspiration and show the values that The Home Depot holds true such as

Taking Care of our People and Giving Back. The Home Depot respects their employees and is


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giving back to them for the service that they gave. The Instagram account mainly focuses on

results of DIY projects and ideas for people to use.

Another marketing strategy that The Home Depot uses is their college game day segment.

This is paid media and a sponsorship opportunity through ESPN. The message used for this is,

“Built By The Home Depot.” The College Game Day segment travels around to different college

campuses every week, and famous announcers give predictions for games and highlights. There

is a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account for fans to keep up with the latest news in college

football and what to expect for the upcoming week. The Home Depot is also a proud sponsor

with Major League Soccer and the Mexican National Team. They serve as the “Official Home

Improvement Sponsor” for the Mexican National Team and the “Official Home Improvement

Retailer” of Major League Soccer (The Home Depot, 2016).

By sponsoring both of these segments it gives them an opportunity to branch out into

different markets where there are different consumers. Most likely, people who watch college

football and professional soccer are not going to be the same. This is an opportunity to reach

both groups. Sponsoring the Mexican National Team is also a fantastic chance to reach the

largest market in Mexico.

In 2012, The Home Depot started using Vine for their “How To” videos for those who

want to tackle DIY projects and need help. They encouraged people to use #LetsDoThis and

show the project they are working on. This campaign made it easy for consumers to engage and

learn new tips for free when starting their new project. It also gave The Home Depot a way to

engage with the public and gain new customers in the process (Cothran, 2015).

The Home Depot utilizes paid sponsorship advertisements through 30-second

commercials. In their commercials they use the messages, “Let’s Do This,” and “More Saving.


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More Doing.” The first example is called, “Let’s Do This Carpet.” The point of this commercial

is to show the durability of the carpet and how soft it is. To display durability, they show kids

running over it and a football player getting mud everywhere. To show the softness, a bunny is

displayed (YouTube, Let’s Do This Carpet, 2013). This specific commercial is meant to display

humor while also sounding tough and serious.

The next commercial is another Let’s Do This segment showcasing The Home Depot

products for outside. This includes a power washer, flowers for landscaping and a leaf blower.

Like the previous commercial, this one also comes off tough and shows durability for the

products. It emphasizes working hard so you can relax when you’re done and enjoy the project

(YouTube, 2014).

A form of owned media that The Home Depot utilizes is their blog. The purpose is for

consumers to find inspiration on DIY home improvements, seasonal projects and overall

inspiration. This offers a wide array of ideas on any topic that somebody would want. It is

continually updated and fits around the theme of that specific season. Right now, it is a lot of fall

decorating including how to plant mums as well as setting the table for Thanksgiving (The Home

Depot Blog, 2016).

Competitors Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

Another large home improvement store, much like The Home Depot, is also located in

the United States, Canada and Mexico. Lowe’s opened in 1946 in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Its 2015 annual sales reached $59.1 billion and has more than 2,355 stores in all three countries.

Lowe’s devotes a lot of time to develop communities through their programs called, Lowe’s

Toolbox for Education, which is an education grant program. Lowe’s Heroes support employee


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volunteers in their local communities and the Charitable and Educational Foundation that raises

money to supports projects in local areas. The stock price on August 29, 2016 was $77.17

(Lowe’s, 2016).

True Value Companies

True Value Companies is headquartered in Chicago and all branches are privately owned.

True Value has over 5,000 privately owned locations in over 60 countries, some of these include:

Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras, and American Samoa. In 2015, True Value had a total revenue of

$1,497.2 million, an increase from 2014. True Value seems to have many of the same products

as the other competitors and many markdowns listed on their website. They do lack the wide

array of service amenities that both The Home Depot, Inc. and Lowe’s Home Improvement

Stores have. Like all of the other sites, True Value has “how-to” tutorials for household projects

(True Value, 2016). True Value used the message, “Behind every product is a true value” that

was part of their rebranding campaign in 2013 (YouTube, 2013).

Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware branches are privately owned with more than 4,800 locations in more than

60 countries. They also have locations in all 50 states in the US. Ace Hardware is 90 years old

and headquartered in Oak Brook Illinois. The total sales for 2015 reached $1.4 billion. Ace

Hardware offers many services but not on the same scale as The Home Depot or Lowe’s Home

Improvement Stores. However, some of these services include; blade sharpening, delivery, glass

& acrylic sheet cutting, key cutting, pipe cutting & threading, UPS/Postal Service and more (Ace

Hardware, 2016).


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SWOT Analysis Strengths:

• InternationalLocationsinMexicoandCanada

• Locationsavailableinall50states• Knowledgeableassociates• Productsavailableforeveryaspectof

homeprojects• LowPriceguarantee:matchprices

andbeatby10%(in-store)• HigherstockpricethanLowe’sHome

ImprovementStores• Highestearningsamongcompetitors

in2015• Vinecampaignengagedconsumer

interactionandencouragedDIYprojects

• Strongpresenceinthecollegefootballandsoccermarkets

Weaknesses:• VerysimilartoLowe’sHome

ImprovementStoresanddoesnotseemtohavemanydifferences

• Storelocationsin3countriescomparedtoAceHardwareandTrueValuethatarein60countrieseach

• NegativecommentsonFacebook• NottheonlyHomeImprovement

Storewithhowtovideosontheinternet

• TrueValueandAceHardwarehaveahigheramountofstoresandstrongerlocationpresence

Opportunities:• Gainastrongerglobalpresenceand

expandintoothercountriestohaveanadvantageoverLowe’sHomeImprovementStores

• Abletoexpandcommunicationseffortsthroughdifferentsocialmediaplatformsastheycontinuetodevelop

• Abilitytoreachmassamountsofpeoplecontinuallythroughsocialmedia

• Gainpositiverecognitionthroughcontinuingtohireandfundveteranprograms

• Gainmorebusinessandbuzzbydevelopingcreativesocialmediacampaigns

Threats:• Lowe’sHomeImprovementStores

hasapresenceinthesamethreecountriesasTheHomeDepot,Inc.

• Allstoreshavehowtovideosontheirwebsites

• TrueValueCompaniesandAceHardwarehaveastrongerglobalpresencethanTheHomeDepot,Inc.

• Lowe’salsohascommunityrelationseffortsgearedtowardsdisasterrelief


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Target Audience

The Home Depot’s overall customer base can be narrowed down into three categories.

The first are those who do projects themselves. The people in this category come to The Home

Depot to buy products but go home and install them themselves. These people want quality

goods at a reasonable price due to the fact that they are taking on the project. This is most likely

a way for them to save money instead of using The Home Depot installation services.

The next set of customers are those who are looking to find installation services at a good

rate. In this case, the customers would be purchasing The Home Depot products as well as

paying for the installation. This customer wants to see excellence from the company from start to

finish.

The final group of customers are businesses who use the products that The Home Depot

sells. This can include contractors and installers who come to buy parts to use in their labor

based jobs. For instance, an HVAC business in the small town of Somerset, PA needs parts for a

job and is looking for a good price. They come to The Home Depot to come and purchase all of

the necessary supplies in order to get the job done.

For this specific campaign, the ideal target audience will be a single or married individual

working full time between the ages of 30-32, either male or female. This campaign is geared

towards those who are eager to start DIY projects at their home but do not have large budgets to

pay for high end brands or the services amenities that The Home Depot offers. The consumers

would individually make an average of $50,000 a year individually. The purpose of this

campaign is to grab attention of this specific target market and show them how The Home Depot

can be of use to them on their next DIY project.


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An example of this specific consumer would be a 31-year-old single female, account

executive at a public relations firm in Pittsburgh making $50,000 a year. She just purchased her

first home but due to budget constraints, she cannot afford a contractor to make changes on her

home. She realizes the potential and options she has with DIY. She decides to go online and find

inspiration. When she gets some ideas and watches videos on how to do the project, she is ready

to tackle it. She now needs to get the materials at a low price and gain confidence that she can do

this. As The Home Depot, it is our job to make sure we are her source of inspiration, guidance on

her project and the place she shops.

Campaign Objectives and Strategies Marketing Objectives

• Increase sales by $2,000,000 in the United States stores by 2017

• Build overall brand awareness across the United States by 30% in the 30-32-year-old age

groups in 2017

• Increase customer loyalty by 40% in the United States in 2017

• Gain a stronger customer base of 30-32-year-olds in the United States in 2017

Marketing Strategies

• Develop National Home Improvement Day on June 17, 2017

• Offer promotions for National Home Improvement Day

• Partner with Chip and Joanna Gaines as brand ambassadors


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Integrated Creative Strategy Statement, Creative Brief, Creative Execution Rational Beliefs

• Easily accessible information • Best price guarantee • Mobile App • Assortment of qualities • Assortment of brands • Assortment of price ranges • Knowledgeable and helpful staff • Fast, helpful hints • Home Improvement • DIY videos

Emotional Beliefs

• Creativity • Stress-free • Independence • Self-confidence • Knowledgeable • Frugal • Confidence • Inspiration

Thrown Out Integrated Strategy Statements

1. We make shopping easy

2. We make shopping easy, to save you time and money

3. If you have a small budget and want quality, we are the place to shop

4. Come with an idea and leave with a plan

5. The Home Depot: turn your ideas into reality

6. Let us worry about your project, so you don’t have to

7. Focus on living your life, we will take care of the rest

8. A one stop shop for every rand of home improvement

9. We’ve got the products to make you the master of home improvement

10. Come with an idea, leave with inspiration

Integrated Strategy Statement

• The Home Depot offers customers knowledgeable and helpful staff to inspire them with

their projects.


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Creative Brief Client: The Home Depot

Type: Online advertisement

Why are we advertising?

To gain consumers and sales the week of and prior to International Home Improvement Day.

Whom are we talking to?

Specifically, 30-32-year-old male and female homeowners with mediocre incomes,

approximately $50,000 a year needing home improvement. Cannot afford installation services

but will purchase products for DIY projects around the house.

What do they currently think?

The Home Depot has merchandise for only high scale home improvement projects.

What would we like them to think?

The Home Depot has every aspect of their DIY project with staff and online videos to guide

them through every step.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?

The Home Depot has the best price and most accessible information to complete your project.

Why should they believe it?

The Home Depot has a price-match guarantee, knowledgeable staff to assist with every aspect of

a project and online DIY videos to guide customers in their projects.

Are there any creative guidelines?

Online advertisement, can be used on website or social media platforms


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Creative Execution Below is a mock-up advertisement to be used both online, either on the website or through social

media channels. This is used to gain a visual on a potential advertisement. The message, “Come

with an idea, leave with inspiration” will serve as the tagline for the advertisement. This specific

advertisement would also have a thought bubble beside the woman with her dream kitchen. This

would be her getting the inspiration from shopping at The Home Depot. She would ideally be 30

years old, due to the target market age.


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Paid Media Plan Media Objectives

1. Use broadcast media to provide 50% coverage of campaign over a 3-month period.

2. Use paid social media to provide 10% of coverage of campaign over a 3-month period.

3. Use radio to provide 40% coverage of campaign over a 3-month period.

4. Reach 80% of target market over a 3-month period throughout campaign duration.

5. Ensure target market obtains a frequency of 3 times for advertisements during 3-month

period.

6. Create a positive image of brand through National Home Improvement Day Campaign.

Media Strategies

1. Hire Chip and Joanna Gaines as spokespeople for National Home Improvement Day

Campaign.

2. Use television advertising on home improvement networks to grab viewers’ attention to

National Home Improvement Day.

3. Utilize radio advertisements on streaming services for listeners to hear about National

Home Improvement Day.

4. Use paid social media banners to advertise National Home Improvement Day.

5. Advertise on specific social media platforms for National Home Improvement Day.

6. Utilize streaming networks to advertise to target market for National Home Improvement

Day.

7. Target ads demographically using all media platforms.


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Media Tactics

1. Run a series of three :30 second television commercials on HGTV and DIY networks

during prime-time viewing hours with Chip and Joanna Gaines, discussing National

Home Improvement Day and a DIY tip from Saturday, April 1 – Saturday, June 17.

a. Chip and Joanna are a laid back couple with a television show on HGTV called

Fixer Upper. Blog posts can be found on why they are people’s favorite couple,

including one from Tiffany Raidford discussing their strong family values and

work ethic (Raidford, 2016). Consumers who take the time to do projects

themselves will share similar values making them an ideal couple to use.

b. The purpose of three different yet similar commercials is due to the fact that while

this campaign is promoting International Home Improvement Day, it is targeting

30-32 year-olds doing DIY projects. These commercials will give three helpful

hints for this market while still promoting the holiday.

c. The commercials will specifically run on HGTV and DIY networks due to them

both being home improvement shows. People who watch DIY network

specifically do so for inspiration. In Spring 2015 it had 10.58 million viewers in

the United States (statista, 2015). HGTV, which is the show Fixer Upper is on,

had more than 9.4 million viewers with viewers watching approximately 85

minutes per week (HGTV, 2016).

d. The show will be run during prime time because that is when most consumers

have the opportunity to sit down and watch television. Most people are working

during the daytime hours and this is the best time to grab their attention.


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e. With television watch declining, it will not be the primary way to target the

market. Since 2011, there has been a drastic decrease of 25.6% of older

millennials, ages 25-34) that watch television, they now watch an average of 20

hours and 56 minutes per week (Marketing Charts, 2016).

2. Advertise the same :30 second commercials as television on streaming networks, Hulu

and Netflix to market National Home Improvement Day from April 1-June 17, 2017.

a. 28% of 26-32-year-olds are streaming shows opposed to watching live television.

This a good chunk and by using this tactic, it will allow The Home Depot to grab

the target market’s attention and inform them on National Home Improvement

Day.

3. Run three separate :60 second radio advertisements recorded by Chip and Joanna on

Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify and iHeart Radio, advertising National Home

Improvement Day from April 1-June 17.

a. I chose to do :60 seconds because it is not that much more expensive than the :30

second slots and can be filled with more information. There are three separate

advertisements so listeners are not hearing the same thing each time over a three-

month period.

b. Listening to traditional radio stations is hitting a major decline and most people

now listen through streaming services such as Pandora, iHeart Radio, Apple

Music and Spotify. Pandora has the highest awareness of 82%, Apple Music

(67%), iHeart Radio (65%), and Spotify (52%) (Edison, 2016). Many people now

stream in their cars straight from their phones and car companies now make the

cars with Bluetooth compatibility (Owen, 2016).


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4. Purchase snapchat filter on National Home Improvement Day, Saturday, June 17, 2017.

a. Snapchat is becoming a popular tool among millennials and according to Jillian

Hausmann, if a company is not utilizing it they are late in the game (Hausmann,

2016).

b. This is a great way to involve people who are using the app to have fun. You are

marketing to such a large crowd without really even trying. To make this

successful it is important to make it funny so that snapchat users participate.

5. Advertise National Home Improvement Day sale through banner ads online beginning

Saturday, May 27, 2017.

a. These banner advertisements will be specifically for the sale that is starting on

Saturday, June 10, 2017 through Saturday, June 17, 2017.

b. These are to encourage consumers to come into Home Depot that week in

celebration of National Home Improvement Day.

c. Banner advertisements are selected for this because it is a great way to reach the

desired target market. Due to the fact that it goes off of the browser’s cookies, the

right consumers will be seeing them during their internet searches.

d. Dates were chosen because it is advertising just the sale of items in the store. This

will grab people’s attention before it starts.

6. Advertise a series of three advertisements specifically through Instagram, Snapchat and

Pinterest during April 1 – June 17, 2017 to promote the National Home Improvement

Day Campaign.

a. Social media platforms give companies the opportunity to advertise specifically

with them. DIY projects are visual which is why The Home Depot will advertise


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on snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest. People who visit these platforms go

specifically to look at photos or videos. Pinterest is also a great spot for viewers to

find inspiration, which is the backbone of this campaign.

7. Advertise local customers through email newsletters from June 1 – June 17, 2017.

a. In order to target demographically, The Home Depot will run the store

promotions in email newsletters sent out directly to customers that will promote

sales at their closest Home Depot store.


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Flow Chart


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Earned and Owned Media Plan Objectives

• Gain 5,000 more followers on all social media platforms individually including

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat over a 3-month period.

• Increase consumer engagement on social media platforms by 30% with National Home

Improvement Day campaign.

• Gain a stronger following on all existing social media platforms such as Pinterest,

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by 10,000 followers each in 2017.

• Generate 50 earned media placements through media relations efforts over a 3-month

period.

• Develop 30 new media relationships nationwide over a 3-month period.

• Increase credibility of the Home Depot brand by 40% over a 3-month period.

• Gain a 30% increase in stakeholders through DIY blogging over a 3-month period.

• Increase awareness of the Home Depot brand nationwide by 20% over a 3-month period.

• Enhance individual United States store reputations through community relations efforts

over a 3-month period.

Strategies

• Develop a social media contest to win a free room makeover to increase followers and

engagement.

• Increase conversation on National Home Improvement Day Campaign through all social

media platforms using hashtag developed specifically for the campaign.

• Enhance celebrity relationships to increase snapchat filter usage.


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• Develop creative pitches based on region to gain nationwide earned coverage of National

Home Improvement Day Campaign.

• Invite influential media editors to Atlanta to develop positive relationships.

• Increase blogging presence by developing relationships with DIY influencers.

• Build off of veteran program in all store regions over National Home Improvement Day.

Tactics

• Conduct three Twitter chats, once a month, before National Home Improvement Day

using #HomeDepotDIY.

o The purpose of a Twitter chat is to increase engagement and develop relationships

with consumers. Twitter is a great medium for the age group and by using the

hashtag it will make tracking the conversation easy. The purpose of the chat will

be to strike up conversation on DIY Inspirations, helpful hints, good tools to use,

etc. A moderator from the Home Depot social media team will provide a series of

questions and allow guests to participate. This will be a learning experience for

everybody involved and is free to do.

• Create an Instagram contest on National Home Improvement Day using

#HomeDepot2017, winner receives a room makeover.

o The Instagram contest will require DIYers to show off their DIY project on

National Home Improvement Day. Representatives will choose their ten favorites

and post them on the website. Viewers will then go on and vote, the top three will

receive a room renovation as the prize.


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o This will allow social media engagement from the Home Depot and bring in

website traffic, the only main costs the Home Depot will incur is the cost of the

room renovations.

• Create a series of Facebook posts throughout 3 months to encourage users to share photos

of their renovations using #HomeDepot2017 and promote Instagram contest.

o Facebook is a social media platform used by so many and this will be a great way

to promote the hashtag, National Home Improvement Day and the Instagram

contest.

• Create a series of Twitter posts throughout 3 months to encourage users to share photos

of their renovations using #HomeDepot2017 and promote Instagram contest.

o Twitter is another great platform to use and perfect for hashtags. This can promote

the campaign in general while also promoting the Instagram photo contest.

• Develop specific pitches for media outlets for different regions of the country to gain

favorable earned media for campaign.

o Pitches should zone in on particular regions in order to make the campaign

newsworthy. By doing this it will make these regions feel important and know the

Home Depot is paying attention to their interests. This will be favorable in

gaining free coverage for the campaign.

• Develop four press releases to explain campaign to both consumers and the media, all

posted on website and sent to media outlets.

o The three press releases will consist of a pre-campaign release to come out in

February 2017 to announce and explain the campaign. An event campaign will

come out in March 2017 to announce beginning of campaign, 3 months before


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National Home Improvement Day. A press release will then come out a week

before National Home Improvement Day in June 2017 as a reminder. Then a final

post campaign release will be distributed a week after campaign with results and

thank for you for participation. All releases will be posted on the website as well

as sent with pitch to media outlets. There is no cost to this and the result is earned

media on the campaign.

• Host a press conference with Chip and Joanna Gaines to promote overall National Home

Improvement Day campaign.

o The press conference will be with Chip and Joanna Gaines because they are the

spokespeople and the face of the National Home Improvement Day campaign.

Editors from media outlets pertinent to campaign will be invited to attend in order

to gain favorable coverage.

• Host a media appreciation day for the media members invited to the press conference.

o The day after the press conference invite all media to tour the Home Depot

headquarters and meet the CEO. Also give all exclusive passes to the Coca-Cola

museum in Atlanta. This is a prominent destination while visiting Atlanta and

memorable to the region. While this will incur costs it will make the media feel

special and more inclined to write positive stories about the campaign while

building positive relationships.

• Develop a media advisory to send to invited media for media appreciation day and the

press conference.


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o Media advisories are simple Who, What, When, Where, and Why forms to send

out to media outlets. These allow them to have important information and show

why the particular event is important.

• Curate a list of keywords to be used for Search Engine Optimization that will coincide

with the campaign.

o When people type in these keywords information for the campaign will come up

in their search engines. This ensures they receive all they need to know about the

campaign instantly.

• Have each store in the United States honor a veteran and share stories on social media

throughout 3-month campaign.

o This will coincide with the existing veteran program that the Home Depot already

hosts. Each store in the United States will honor a veteran in their town and do a

small project for them. This uses community relations efforts and shows how the

Home Depot wants to be a part of their region. By engaging with the community,

it will give the Home Depot a positive reputation. Stories of the veterans will be

shared on social media platforms and also drive engagement throughout campaign

duration.

Measurement and Evaluation Plan In order to gain a thorough understanding of whether the National Home Improvement

Day campaign will work, it is important to measure both before the campaign starts and

afterwards. Before the campaign begins, The Home Depot needs to monitor all social media


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platforms and see where they stand. This includes how many followers each account has and the

amount of engagement.

Another thing to do before the campaign begins is to conduct a total of six focus groups

of specifically 30-32-year-olds throughout vastly different regions in the United States, and ask

respondents questions to evaluate current Integrated Marketing & Communication strategies.

This will give The Home Depot an idea of how their current strategies and tactics are working

before the campaign begins. It will also give them a way to compare and contrast after the

campaign is over.

When the campaign is finished, The Home Depot will need to begin by evaluating their

overall sales during the three-month period that the campaign happened. The Home Depot needs

to find if there was an overall increase in sales and what percentage, if specific products sold

better to this target market, and brands had the highest sales towards this target market. The

objective was to see an increase in sales of $2,000,000 in the United States during this three-

month campaign. If it hits that amount, then the sales portion of the campaign was a success.

The next thing that needs to be done to evaluate the campaign, is a post-campaign focus

group. The same regions need to be used to see if there were any changes to customer’s

perceptions before the campaign and after. This can be used to evaluate if there was an increase

in customer loyalty, an increase in brand awareness, and a stronger customer base of the target

market. This is a great way to hear honest opinions and also a great way to see how the

marketing worked in that region.

A survey can also be sent out through emails a week after the campaign to the target

market. In order to gain a better group of respondents, the customers can be added into a drawing

in order to win a free room makeover. These surveys can also be handed out in the individual


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stores in that same time period. These surveys would be anonymous and ask questions on

marketing strategies and a good way to measure frequency of the advertisements.

Earned media can be analyzed after the campaign by looking for hits online to see if any

reporters wrote stories. The press conference with Chip and Joanna should be analyzed

afterwards to see what buzz was generated. All social media channels should be looked at as

well. The Home Depot would need to determine if any followers emerged from the campaign

and how many, how many people used the snapchat filter, how many participated in the Twitter

chat, the amount of negative versus positive comments on posts, and how many likes post

received. Did the average number increase before the campaign versus afterwards?

As far as owned media, the number of website views needs to be looked at. If more views

happened during the campaign versus after that is successful in itself. Also, the blog is such an

important tool for DIY projects. The Home Depot also needs to see if more views were

generated on that. Overall, the evaluation of the campaign is important to see how successful it

was and if it had a positive impact on The Home Depot.


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Conclusion

In conclusion, the National Home Improvement Day Campaign is targeting 30-32-year

old single or married homeowners in the United States of America. The goal of this campaign is

to bring in this target market by helping with DIY projects. This target market makes an average

of $50,000 per year, this does not leave a large chunk of disposable income to go towards large

home renovation projects. This specific group of people is interested in doing small DIY projects

throughout their home. This will give them the creative freedom to do what they want and in an

affordable way, The Home Depot will be there every step of the way to guide them.

The concept of National Home Improvement Day bring light to the concept of DIY. The

concept is an integrated strategy directed at gaining sales while also gaining a strong customer

base in the specific target market. This campaign will look at buying media placements on a

multitude of platforms from television, streaming services through television and radio, social

media, and individual stores. This campaign will also strive to gain earned media and positive

reputation through a comprehensive public relations plan.

Chip and Joanna Gaines will serve as the primary spokespeople for this campaign. Their

likability with the public, high television ratings, and knowledge of the DIY field makes them

perfect candidates. The consumers will be able to associate this couple with The Home Depot

after the campaign and ideally make it the number one stop for home improvement essentials.


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for-streaming-will-radio-find-a-home-in-your-next-car/


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MarketingCharts Staff. (2016). The state of traditional tv: q2 2016 update. [Web log comment].

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within-the-last-7-days-usa/

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loves-fixer-uppers-chip-joanna-gaines

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFQflAWyp9Q

YouTube. (2014). Let’s do this spec. [Web log post]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKxgUI9Az2Q


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YouTube. (2016). Celebration of Service – Phoenix, AZ. [Web log post]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/user/homedepot

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