Final IMC 610 Project

SHEELER: THE HOME DEPOT IMC PLAN

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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

Executive Summary 2
Table of Contents 3
Background Information 4
Core Values 4
Mission Statement 6
Financial Status 6
Services, Products and Pricing 6
Current Marketing Communication Strategies 7
Competitors 10
SWOT Analysis 12
Target Audience 13
Campaign Objectives and Strategies 14
Marketing Objectives 14
Marketing Strategies 14
Integrated Creative Strategy Statement, Creative Brief, Creative Execution 15
Rational Beliefs 15
Emotional Beliefs 15
Creative Brief 16
Creative Execution 17
Paid Media Plan 18
Media Objectives 18
Media Strategies 18
Media Tactics 19
Flow Chart 23
Earned and Owned Media Plan 24
Objectives 24
Strategies 24
Tactics 25
Measurement and Evaluation Plan 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:
• International Locations in Mexico and
Canada
• Locations available in all 50 states
• Knowledgeable associates
• Products available for every aspect of
home projects
• Low Price guarantee: match prices
and beat by 10%(in-store)
• Higher stock price than Lowe’s Home
Improvement Stores
• Highest earnings among competitors
in 2015
• Vine campaign engaged consumer
interaction and encouraged DIY
projects
• Strong presence in the college
football and soccer markets
Weaknesses:
• Very similar to Lowe’s Home
Improvement Stores and does not
seem to have many differences
• Store locations in 3 countries
compared to Ace Hardware and True
Value that are in 60 countries each
• Negative comments on Facebook
• Not the only Home Improvement
Store with how to videos on the
internet
• True Value and Ace Hardware have a
higher amount of stores and stronger
location presence
Opportunities:
• Gain a stronger global presence and
expand into other countries to have
an advantage over Lowe’s Home
Improvement Stores
• Able to expand communications
efforts through different social media
platforms as they continue to develop
• Ability to reach mass amounts of
people continually through social
media
• Gain positive recognition through
continuing to hire and fund veteran
programs
• Gain more business and buzz by
developing creative social media
campaigns
Threats:
• Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores
has a presence in the same three
countries as The Home Depot, Inc.
• All stores have how to videos on their
websites
• True Value Companies and Ace
Hardware have a stronger global
presence than The Home Depot, Inc.
• Lowe’s also has community relations
efforts geared towards disaster relief


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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


27
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


29
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


30
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.


32
Citations
Ace Hardware. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.acehardware.com/services/index.jsp
Community. (2016). Retrieved from https://corporate.homedepot.com/community
Edison. (2016). The Infiniate Dial.[Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2016/
Facebook, The Home Depot. (2016). Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/homedepot/?fref=ts
HGTV. (2015). HGTV finishes 2015 with the highest-rated year ever. [Web log comment].
Retrieved from http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/newsroom/company-
news/HGTV-Finishes-2015-With-Highest-Rated-Year-Ever/
Home Depot. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.makingafortune.biz/list-of-companies-h/home-
depot.htm
J Hausmann. (2016). To big brands, from a millennial: snapchat filters are where it’s at. [Web
log comment]. Retreived from http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/steps-brands-sponsor-
snapchat-filters/303288/
K Cothran. (2015). Content marketing campaign of the week: home depot videos. [Web log
comment]. Retrieved from http://www.aspe-roi.com/blog/content-marketing-campaign-
week-home-depot-videos/
L Owen. (2016). Left on the dial: with young people trading am/fm for streaming, will radio find
a home in your next car? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/04/left-on-the-dial-with-young-people-trading-amfm-
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].
Retrieved from http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/are-young-people-watching-
less-tv-24817/
Lowe’s. (2016). Retrieved from http://media.lowes.com/about-lowes/
Our Values. (2016). Retrieved from https://corporate.homedepot.com/about/values#
The Home Depot, Inc. (2016). Retrieved from https://corporate.homedepot.com/about
The Home Depot Blog. (2016). Welcome. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
http://blog.homedepot.com/
Statista. (2015). Cable tv networks: number of tv viewers of DIY network within the last 7 days
in the united states from spring 2008 to spring 2015. [Web page]. Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/228941/cable-tv-networks-diy-network-watched-
within-the-last-7-days-usa/
T Raidford. (2016). The reason everyone loves fixer upper’s chip and Joanna gaines. [Web log
comment]. Retrieved from http://www.tvovermind.com/fixer-upper/reason-everyone-
loves-fixer-uppers-chip-joanna-gaines

True Value. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.truevaluecompany.com/Open-a-
Store/International/About-International
YouTube. (2013). Let’s do this carpet. [Web log post]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdRIqJ7q6t0
YouTube. (2013). Behind every project is a true value. [Web log post]. Retrieved from
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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