imc 610: home depot imc campaign
TRANSCRIPT
Amie Fouchie
IMC 610
Professor Harris
By
Fouchie 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Executive Summary……………………………...page 2
II. Background……………………………………...page 3
III. Target Audience………………………………….page 4
IV. SWOT Analysis………………………………….page 5
V. Campaign Objectives and Strategies…………….page 5
VI. Integrated Creative Strategy Statement………….page 6
VII. Creative Brief……………………………………page 7
VIII. Creative Execution………………………………page 7
IX. Media Objectives and Strategies………………...page 8
X. Media Flow Chart……………………………….page 9
XI. Public Relations Plan……………………………page 10
XII. Direct Marketing Plan…………………………...page 10
XIII. Sales Promotion Plan……………………………page 11
XIV. Measurement and Evaluation Plan……………....page 11
XV. Conclusion………………………………………page 12
XVI. References………………………………………page 13
Fouchie 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Founded in 1978, the Home Depot has been a force to reckon with when it comes to home
improvement stores, but there are always areas to improve upon. While there aren’t any drastic
areas that need attention, we hope to improve social media content and activity along with direct
and promotion sales marketing. We also hope to get more acknowledgement in the community
events and charities that the Home Depot helps with.
The primary goal of the campaign with the Home Depot is to increase sales and build awareness
for the different serves Home Depot has to offer. To do such, we look to show that the Home
Depot is the place to go for all your project needs including workshops and supplies. This will
increase interest in the club and team and lead to an increase in membership. We are also looking
to increase awareness of the Home Depot’s commitment to the community.
Being a major home improvement store, we are looking to appeal to first time DIY home buyers.
We hope to reach males in suburban areas, recently married and looking to potentially start a
family. They are between the ages of 25-35 with a college degree.
In order to achieve our objectives, we plan to revamp the social media channels of the company.
We will create new direct marketing documents. To distinguish the company as the best home
improvement store, we want to really market how the company can help with any and all DIY
home projects through workshops and social media.
When all is said and done, to gage the impact of the campaign we will create and send surveys to
those in our target audience both before and after the campaign. Another way to measure
whether the campaign was successful is to measure and analyze social media channels. Finally
we will measure any increase of sales both in-store and online.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Home Depot is a home improvement store that was founded in 1978 by Bernier Marcus and
Arthur Blank who opened the first two stores in Atlanta, Georgia on June 22, 1979 with the help
of investment Banker Ken Langone and merchandising Guru Pat Farrah (Our History, 2013).
The vision of home depot was to create a “one-stop shopping for the do-it-yourselfer (DIY)”
(Our Story, 2013). The Home Depot has since turned in an international company for those
looking to purchase products for home improvement or get some tips of some DIY projects. In
1994, The Home Depot moved to Canada after acquiring Aikenhead’s, expanded to Mexico in
2001 by acquiring a company named TOTAL Home and eventually in 2006 landed in China
through the acquisition of The Home Way (Our Story, 2013).
Today, The Home Depot has over 2,200 stores between the United States, Canada, China and
Mexico (Stores, Products and Services, 2013). In those 2,200 stores, they stock 40,000 different
kinds of home improvement, appliances and law/garden supplies and if an item is not found in
their store, The Home Depot offers 250,000 other products that can be special ordered (Stores,
Products and Services, 2015). Throughout all of The Home Depot stores, the same values are
carried. These value include taking care of our people, giving back to our communities, doing the
right thing, excellent customer service, creating stakeholder value, building strong relationships,
entrepreneurial spirit and respect for all people (Our Values, 2013). In order to achieve these
values, The Home Depot has a “whatever is takes” mentality (Our Story, 2013). Instead of
focusing on a sale, associates work on building relationships with the customers that come
through their store. They are able to achieve this by having associated that are trained and
knowledgeable on the sales floor and through their “Bill of rights” which “entitles the customer
to the right assortment, quantities and price” (Our Story, 2013).
Previously, they used a campaign to try and make the company known as more than a store by
using “the theme, ‘The Home Depot is more than a store -- You can do it. We can help’”
(PRNewswire, February). Currently, the Home Depot is running their “Let’s Do This” campaign,
which seems to be an extension of the previous campaign. In both campaigns, they are looking to
create an inviting message that the DIYers aren’t in it alone. There is help available at the stores
in order to get their consumers ready to get a project started and completed.
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(@homedepot twitter)
According to Hoovers.com, The Home Depot was “stung by a massive payment data breach in
2014” (The Home Depot Company Information). While that may have been a big breach, The
Home Depot has still has an annual revenue of $83,176 million (The Home Depot Marketing
Contacts). The top three competitors of The Home Depot, according to Hoovers, are Lowe’s
Companies, Inc., True Value Company and Menard, Inc. (The Home Depot Names of
Competitors).
TARGET AUDIENCE
Currently, The Home Depot markets to the do-it-yourselfer (Our Story, 2013), which is a person
who does a home improvement project by themselves. With that in mind, the target audience for
this campaign are first time, suburban home owners that are Caucasian males between the ages
of 25-35. They looking to do some repairs and upgrades themselves to their recently bought
house in order to make it more of a home. They are recently married with a college degree and
an annual income of $45,000-$60,000.
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SWOT ANALYSIS
Objectives:
Based off the SWOT Analysis, the campaign objectives are as follows:
Increase online and social media presence 30% by the end of the fiscal year
Increase DIY project awareness 20% through education and workshops
Increase online purchasing 25% by the end of the fiscal year
Increase awareness of community involvement by 25% by the end of the fiscal year.
Strategies:
In order to achieve the objectives above, we must apply the following strategies:
1) Use social media content to re-enforce DIY home improvement project ideas and help
from Home Depot.
2) Promote messages regarding community involvement.
3) Increase presence online through multiple channels.
Strengths Weaknesses
Brand Identity/Awareness
World’s largest home
improvement store
Socially responsible &
community oriented
Variety of innovated products
Customer Service driven
Store Layout/Aesthetics
Online Presence
Brand Differentiation
Awareness of community
involvement
Opportunities Threats
Online Presence and Content
Social Media Presence
International Expansion
Create loyalty with first time
home owners
Increase in DIY home
improvement projects
United States Economy
United States housing crisis/decline
housing market
Overlap with competition
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CREATIVE STRATEGY MESSAGE
Integrated Creative Strategy Statement:
Helping you turn your first house, into your dream home. #DIYdreamHome
Creative Brief:
Why are we creating this IMC campaign?
To raise awareness that Home Depot is more than a home improvement store, it’s a step towards
creating your dream home.
Target:
First time, suburban home owners that are Caucasian males between the ages of 25-35 looking to
do some repairs and upgrades themselves. They are recently married, no children yet, with a
college degree and an annual income of $45,000-$60,000.
Pre-Campaign Views
Home Depot is just another home improvement store.
Post-Campaign Views
Rejected Statements:
-Turning ideas into reality
-Being able to say “I did that”
-Make people say “wow” with
your DIY projects
Free Workshops
Competitive Pricing
Online Shopping
Quality Products
Home Improvement
Doing it yourself
Building confidence
Promoting Creativity
Feel of accomplishment
Creating a secure place to live
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Home Depot cares and wants to inspire you to create your dream home.
Why should they believe it?
Home Depot not only offers a variety of quality products, but they hold free workshops and train
their associates to be as knowledgeable as possible.
Creative Guidelines:
-Single page ad including logo, creative statement and hashtag.
-Ability to use in both print and online.
Sample Creative Execution:
(Photos: Glazer Construction)
Helping you turn your first house…
#DIYdreamHome
…into your dream home.
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MEDIA PLAN
Measureable Media Objectives:
Reach at least 60% of the target audience during months on March-May and August-
October
Increase online discussion by target audience by 50% over a 12 month period
Media Strategies:
Build TV advertising on shows that will reach newly married men in the suburbs
Create a social media advertising campaign that will reach newly married men in the
suburbs
Construct a magazine advertising campaign that will reach newly married men in the
suburbs.
Media Tactics:
Buy TV ads on The Walking Dead, Family Guy, Duck Dynasty and SportsCenter
Buy TV ads on AMC, ESPN, FOX
Buy ad spots in magazines such as:
o Sports Illustrated
o Men’s Health
o GQ
Post photographic advertisements on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Post video advertisements on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
Fouchie 9
MEDIA FLOW CHART
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PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN
Objectives:
Increase positive engagement on social media by 55%
Increase brand awareness of Home Depot as a great DIY brand for target audience by
45%
Increase awareness of community involvement by 60%
Strategies:
Post DIY content on social media to help target audience know Home Depot is there to
help
Partner with Wounded Warrior Project and Habitat for Humanity to host workshops in 25
cities across the United States
Tactics:
Create DIY videos and tutorials to post on YouTube and Pinterest biweekly
Create a contest for the best DIY home improvement tutorial by a Home Depot customer
Create a press release and media advisory for local media outlets in order to help promote
workshops.
DIRECT MARKETING PLAN
Objectives:
Reach 75% of the target audience near the specific cities that will host the Get Involved
Workshops
Get 40% of target audience to view “How to DIY” tutorials.
Get 45% of the target audience in to store workshops.
Tactics:
Email invitations for the Get Involved workshops with Habitat for Humanity and
Wounded Warrior Project to the customers within a 25 mile radius of the cities hosting
the workshops with prize giveaways.
Email links to “How to DIY” tutorials on YouTube to the target audience.
Direct mailers with information on upcoming DIY store workshops to the target
audience.
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SALES PROMOTION PLAN
Objectives:
Get 35% of coupons sent redeemed
Maintain a strong social media presence while getting 50% the target audience to engage
and interact.
Tactics:
Hold contest through social media for special giveaways allowing followers to maintain a
relationship with the campaign
Give out 20% off coupons to those that attend the How To DIY workshops at the stores
MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION PLAN
The objectives in this IMC plan is to increase sales in-store and online through social media
interaction and direct marketing materials. Researching and analyzing information with our
target audience both before and after the campaign will allow us to see if our objectives were
reached in each area.
Prior to beginning the IMC Plan, The Home Depot will conduct surveys and focus groups to
analyze how the target market knows about the company as well as their awareness of the
company. This will allow us to create our messages around their current knowledge and
perception.
Once the campaign has run its course, we will conduct another survey and focus group to
analyze whether perceptions have changed as well as if awareness of the company’s serves has
increase.
Social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, will also
be closely watched and analyzed to see if mentions, likes, retweets, pins and views increase. We
want to make sure we are effectively reaching our audience and make adjustments if we notice
any negative trends.
. We will also measure donations and participation in community events and charity
involvement both prior and post the campaign
. In order to see if there was in fact sales increases due to the campaign, we will measure sales
throughout the campaign to see if it is being positively or negatively impacts and adjust
accordingly.
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CONCLUSION
The intention of this campaign for The Home Depot is to entice the target audience in their early
stage of planning home improvement projects to create brand loyalty. By targeting this particular
audience and building a relationship with them, we hope that they will continue to use the Home
Depot for all home improvement projects as well as any other project they may come across.
In order to truly achieve our objectives, we must utilize social media and direct marketing while
also continuing to use traditional marketing outlets such as television and magazine ads. Social
media content and presence must be maintained and appeal to the new suburban male home
owners. We want to drive home the message that Home Depot is the place to get any and all
supplies and guidance with whatever project they may be working on.
This campaign will run for a 12-month period. Before the campaign starts and at its conclusion,
surveys and focus groups will be utilized for measuring brand awareness and perception with our
target audience. We will also analyze social media interactions to ensure our social media
presence being used to its best intention. Sales will be measured throughout the campaign to see
if it is in fact driving in-store and online traffic. In order to measure community involvement
awareness, we will measure and analyze donations as well as participation in community events
and mentions in local news and social media.
Should it seem that our objectives are not being met, we will make adjustments throughout the
campaign in order to better achieve them. Our hopes are that with this campaign, we will be able
to meet and exceed our anticipated objectives in marketing, creative content, public relations,
direct marketing and sales promotions.
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REFERENCE
Evans, L. (2014, May 29). Why Doing Good for Others Does Good for Your Business.
Entrepreneur. Retrieved on June 6, 2015 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234271
Glazer Construction. (2015) Retrieved on June 14, 2015 from
http://glazerconstruction.com/gallery/glazer-construction-gallery/
Home Depot. (2014). Q4 2014 Performance. Home Depot. Retrieved on June 5, 2014 from
https://corporate.homedepot.com/MediaCenter/PressKit/Documents/2014-Q4-Earnings-
Infographic.pdf
Home Depot. [@HomeDepot]. Twitter bio. Retrieved on July 19, 2015 from
https://twitter.com/homedepot
Our History. (2013). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from
https://corporate.homedepot.com/OurCompany/History/Pages/default.aspx
PRNewsWire. (February 21). The Home Depot Launches New National Advertising Campaign.
Retrieved on July 19, 2015 from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-home-
depot-launches-new-national-advertising-campaign-74449957.html
THE HOME DEPOT INC Company Information. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-
profile.THE_HOME_DEPOT_INC.fbb298e093e95785.html
THE HOME DEPOT INC Marketing Contacts. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015 from
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/marketing-
lists.THE_HOME_DEPOT_INC.fbb298e093e95785.html
THE HOME DEPOT INC Names of Competitors. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from
http://www.hoovers.com/company-
information/cs/competition.THE_HOME_DEPOT_INC.fbb298e093e95785.html
The Home Depot Values. (2013). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from
https://corporate.homedepot.com/OurCompany/Values/Pages/default.aspx
Stores, Products and Services. (2013) Retrieved June 1, 2015 from
https://corporate.homedepot.com/OurCompany/StoreProdServices/Pages/default.aspx