IMC 610: Integrated Communications Plan for Home Depot (final project)

IMC610
INTRODUCTIONTOIMC
Denisse B. Leon

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary..................................... 3
Background.................................................. 4
Values.............................................................5
Financials.......................................................6
Products and Services ..................................7
Current Marketing Strategies ��8
Competitors..................................................9
Target Audience ........................................ 10
SWOT Analysis .......................................... 11
CampaignObjectivesandStrategies �� 14
Objectives #1 .............................................14
Strategies for Objective #1 .......................14
Objectives #2 .............................................15
Objectives #3 .............................................16
Media Plan ................................................. 17
Objectives ..................................................17
Strategies ....................................................17
Tactics .........................................................18
Media Flow Chart ........................................22
Creative Strategy Statement ..................... 23
Creative Brief ..............................................24
Direct Marketing ....................................... 25
Objectives ..................................................25
Strategies ....................................................25
Tactics .........................................................25
Public Relations ......................................... 27
Objectives ..................................................27
Strategies ..................................................277
Tactics .........................................................28
Measurement and Evaluation Plan �� 31
Conclusion ................................................ 32
References ................................................ 33

THE HOME DEPOT CAMPAIGN 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“More Saving. More Doing.”
It is a statement that Home Depot has been able to live up to for its customers. However, as the
housing market and technology changes, and as the battle for home improvement companies become a
tougher ground to fight over customers, the need for a strategic plan that reaches out to new audiences
such as women, Hispanic families and Millennials would help Home Depot to maintain its position as the
leader in the industry in such times with constant shifting psychographics.
This IMC campaign is specifically designed to employ a mix of marketing elements that work in tandem
to increase brand awareness, customers, and position the company as the leader in DIY products among
Hispanics, Females and Millennials.
The outline of this plan presents strategic and measurable elements of marketing, creative, direct
marketing, public relations, and sales promotions initiatives to position Home Depot as the preferred
go-to home improvement and DIY provider. Each of the elements also include a defined set of objectives,
strategies and tactics to ensure the success of this plan.

4 THE HOME DEPOT CAMPAIGN
BACKGROUND
Founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, Home Depot began with the dream “of
one-stop shopping for the do-it-yourselfer” (“Our Company: History,” n.d.). This home improvement
retailer that originated in Atlanta, Georgia soon became one of the largest in the world by “combining
the convenience and service of mom-and-pop hardware stores with the low prices and huge product
selection of warehouse outlets” (Bernie Marcus & Arthur Blank, 2008).
The first two stores that opened in June 22, 1979 were around 60,000 square feet and stocked
25,000 SKUs, which made it a lot larger than the average hardware stores at that time. Customers were
able to receive an outstanding customer service from its associates thanks to the rigorous training the
associates would have to undergo. In addition, Home Depot’s free clinics would help promote DIY tools,
while embracing and displaying in action Home Depot’s core value of ‘customer service’. This would allow
the giant retail to make relationships with the customers more important than the transaction itself
(Friesner, n.d.) (“Our Company: History,” n.d.).
In 2013, Home Depot became #28 in Fortune 500 Companies surpassing “The Most Magical Place
On Earth” Walt Disney (Dividend Channel, 2013). This orange-blooded retailer offers a wide variety of
construction materials, lawn and garden products, and provide a large number of professional services to
help its customers with all their home improvement needs.

Values
The distinctive hallmark of Home Depot company’s values
are the cornerstone of its success. According to the Home Depot
website, it provides the organization with a “competitive advantage
in the marketplace”. (“Our Company: History,” n.d.). The Home
Depot mission statement is encompassed by eight corporate values
that guide the beliefs and actions of every associate:
TAKING CARE OF OUR PEOPLE
The key to our success is treating people well. We
do this by encouraging associates to speak up
and take risks, by recognizing and rewarding good
performance and by leading and developing people
so they may grow.
GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES
An important part of the fabric of The Home Depot
is giving our time, talents, energy and resources to
worthwhile causes in our communities and society.
DOING THE RIGHT THING
We exercise good judgment by “doing the right
thing” instead of just “doing things right.” We strive
to understand the impact of our decisions, and we
accept responsibility for our actions.
EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
Along with our quality products, service, price
and selection, we must go the extra mile to
give customers knowledgeable advice about
merchandise and to help them use those products
to their maximum benefit.
CREATING SHAREHOLDER VALUE
The investors who provide the capital necessary
to allow our company to grow need and expect a
return on their investment. We are committed to
providing it.
BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
Strong relationships are built on trust, honesty and
integrity. We listen and respond to the needs of
customers, associates, communities and vendors,
treating them as partners.
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
The Home Depot associates are encouraged to
initiate creative and innovative ways of serving
our customers and improving the business and to
spread best practices throughout the company.
RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE
In order to remain successful, our associates must
work in an environment of mutual respect, free
of discrimination and harassment where each
associate is regarded as a part of The Home Depot
team.

Financials
According to Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands, in May 2015, Home Depot made it to #37
in the United States and #134 globally (“The World’s Most Valuable Brands”, 2015). On a 2015 third
quarter earning released published by Home Depot, this do-it-yourselfer company “reported sales of
$21.8 billion, a 6.4 percent increase from third quarter of fiscal 2014” and a “net earning of $1.5 billion”
(“The Home Depot Announces Third Quarter Results; Updates Fiscal Year 2015 Guidance,” 2015). The
company expected sales to grow by about 5.7% in its 2015 fiscal year (Schiavo, 2015).

Products and Services
The giant hardware chain has over 2,200 stores throughout the United States including the
territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and in other countries such as Canada, China and Mexico.
Offering a variety of merchandise and services for its customers, store inventories each have about
40,000 different kinds of home improvement products appliances, lawn and garden, building materials,
among other products. While its products vary by location’s market demands, Home Depot also offers
additional 250,000 other products that can be made under special orders (“Our Company: Stores,
Products and Services,” n.d.).
Home Depot offers free How-To-Clinics that provide real hands-on experience in-store every
Saturday and Sunday. The clinics include Kids Workshops that are fun and free for children and their
parents. In addition to the in-store products, Home Depot offers specialized support and professional
home services to help customers that prefer to not take on a project themselves and would rather have
a qualified professional to work on their project. The Pro Customer service is a dedicated service for
contractors that allow them to get access to loyalty programs, a pro bid room to handle large customer
orders with volume discounts, among other specialty sales initiatives targeted specific for this market.
(“Our Company: Stores, Products and Services,” n.d.).

Current Marketing Strategy
Home Depot’s unique look and feel reflect its brand identity
with a warm, cheerful, and energetic orange color. According to
Ko Floor, the design of the stores should strengthen the known
values of the retail brand (Floor, 2014). Bright and colorful in-
store signage is strategically displayed with promotions and
tips at every check-out counter and aisles targeting both DIY
and professional customer, encouraging them to visit the Home
Depot website, speak to one of its associates, or download its
mobile app to learn more about products and services.
From the moment the customer arrives to the parking lot, the overall in-store experience
communicates the brand promise; every element in the store, from the greeters, the product placement,
to the order of its aisles, everything strategically designed to build a relationship with its customers.
Taglines such as: “When you’re a pro, time is money. The Home Depot is dedicated to saving you
both” serve as a clear message to its customers, reminding them about the competitive and guaranteed
lowest prices Home Depot offers as a leader in the home improvement industry. Online pricing matching
directs customers to the paper ads, discounted inventory, specials of the day, and rebates. Professional
contractors receive additional discounts and specials offers through its “Home Depot Pro Loyalty
Program” (Pro Savings Center, n.d.).
Home Depot social media accounts are covered with DIY ideas as a way to engage its customers
with its products, while increasing its online presence. According to Ad Age, “Home Depot’s social-
media store associates live a double life: apron-wearing store associate three days a week and savvy
content creator two days a week” (Ad Age, 2011). The companies’ posts are non transactional, but rather
conversational, inspiring and engaging, embracing the value of relationships.

Competitors
In the battle of home improvement territory dominance, Lowe’s
has been “on the verge of contesting its rival as the top pick among
consumers”(Goodfellow, 2015). Lowe’s customers include homeowners and
renters wishing to complete do-it-yourself (DIY) and do-it-for-me (DIFM)
projects. With over 1,840 stores of which 1,793 are in the United States, 37 in
Canada and 10 in Mexico, Home Depot’s rival’s typical stores offer over 36,000
products, a lot less compared to the 250,000 in-store products at Home Depot.
In addition, only 30% of total sales come from its professional customers
that include construction and trade, and maintenance, repair and operations,
compared to 35% of Home Depot’s (About Lowe’s, n.d.) (Skariachan, 2013).
Additional competitors such as Ace Hardware, Menard, and True Value are also a part of the battle
for home improvement (Yahoo! Finance, n.d.). The list would not be complete without including indirect
competitors such as Walmart, Target, Sears, Kmart, Amazon.com and Sherwin Williams that offer a
limited inventory of DIY products, but certainly not as extensive or nowhere near Home Depot’s.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Summer makes it a perfect timing for families to work on house projects, and traditionally these kind
of DIY projects have been considered to be an activity for dads (Forbes. 2014). And while males are still
the main target group for the home improvement industry, in the last couple of years, women between
ages 18-55 have become a rising group in this trend (Average Lowe’s and Home Depot Customer Similar,
2016).
Thanks to websites such as Pinterest, YouTube, and HGTV shows, the DIY trend has boomed,
especially among millennial. According to a Census Bureu Data, the Millennial or Generation Y, born
between ages 18 -35 in 2016 are now number 83.1 million and represent more than one quarter of the
nation’s population surpassing the 75.4 million size of baby boomers. (Census Bureu, 2015) (Fry, 2015).
The generational shift has provided unique opportunities for Home Depot to reach an additional
demographic within their regular groupings of customers (Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A., 2015). In a report
published by Caneadan Company, “each week, Home Depot stores are visited by over 22 million people”,
from which they have identified three psychographic segmentations including: 1) Do-It-Yourself – usually
this group are homeowners that take pride and ownership in completing their own projects; 2) Do-It-
For-Me – this group would buy materials but allow for a third party to do the work; and 3) Professional
Customers that are usually contractors (Caneadan Company Reports, 2015).
According to a report by Venveo, the profile of the DIY consumers are between the ages of 24 to 44,
95% live in a house that they own, 75% are married, 85% have children living with them and 43% make
between $51,000 and $90,000 per year (Venveo, 2015). In addition, DIYer’s are highly technological savvy,
and constantly looking for inspiration online (Williams, Z., n.d.). This latest trend provides Home Depot a
major market opportunity to increase its audience reach while increasing group brand loyalty specifically
among women between ages 24-44, Millennials, and young Hispanic families.

SWOT ANALYSIS
The Home Depot is one of the major home improvement retailers in the industry. The company
has experienced an extraordinary climbing growth of over 270% despite the recession in the last couple
of years (Forbes, 2015). In this section we will look at the SWOT Analysis for this Home Depot, while
providing a suggested marketing campaign objectives and strategies to help this titan of the home
improvement industry to position itself among the Hispanic, Female and Millennial communities.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
• Brand Awareness
• Diversification of Products, Services,
Customer groups and Locations
• Competitive Pricing
• Online presence
• Customer Service
• Attracting and Retaining Quality
Associates
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
• Market to Hispanics, Millennials and
Women
• Increase E-Commerce
• Stronger Social Media Presence
• Competition (Lowe’s, ACE, Menards,
Small Local Hardware Stores, Walmart,
Amazon, etc.)
• Economic slowdown
• Privacy and Security
• Weather
STRENGTHS
Home Depot’s bright and cheerful orange color brand along with its tag-line “Let’s Do This” printed
in several of its products are one of the many ways this company has positioned its brand in the lives of
everyday people. Online YouTube videos parodies such as “The Magical World of Depot” by Jordan Sovis
depicts the brand as a fun and exciting place to be. (Sovis, 2015). There’s obviously a lot of hype around
this retailer that has created an experience for its customers.
The large amount of number of locations offers convenience for those customers that prefer to not
drive miles away just for a product. With more than 2,200 locations, this giant hardware chain is easy to
spot on everywhere you go (“Our Company: Stores, Products and Services,” n.d.).

In addition, the company diversification of products and services offer its customers the ability to
find everything they need for its home improvement projects under one roof. And by offering a variety
of high quality of products and exclusive brands, along with its competitive prices, this strategy helps
to position Home Depot as the go-to place for home improvement project reaching a wide range of
customers.
WEAKNESSES
For being one of the major home improvement retailers, its online presence is very limited as to
what the customer can order; some items are only available in-store and others only available online. In
addition, not all the items offer free shipping, and if they do, they come with a specific amount needed
to be ordered. Its mobile app is a bit friendlier with its product locator features. But the challenge with
relaying on the app only is that there are still customers that would not download the app but instead
would go directly to the website.
In addition, the rapid growth of Home Depot presented the challenge of hiring and retaining highly
skilled and qualified employees across its stores that would fully embody the company’s values, impacting
greatly the customer service excellence. (Koller, Goedhart, & Wessels, 2005).
OPPORTUNITIES
The Home Depot website has a section called “DIY Projects & Ideas” that it is hard to find because it gets
lost with the rest of its advertisements. By making that section more prominent and leveraging its Social
Media, and the current trend of using pages such as Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube among others, the
company could potentially increase its customer engagement with the brand. Currently it seems like
there is almost no brand differentiation
between Lowe’s and Home Depot’s
Social Media accounts, other than the
color scheme.

Setting the brand apart from competitors in the Social Media world would also require to have a
stronger e-commerce and SEO approach.
There is a great market opportunity within the Hispanic community. According to Realtor Mag in
2013 “The U.S. Hispanic population accounted for an increase of 2.6 million owner households—or nearly
47 percent of all home ownership growth in the country” (Hispanics a Major Home Buying Force, 2014).
The Hispanic market offers also great opportunities for word-of-mouth advertisement because most
Hispanic communities are family oriented providing the opportunity for family members to “serve as
referents to each other” (Belch & Belch, 2015).
The Female and Millennial clientele are also two of the groups that provide a major opportunity to
help expand the company among the DIY and online communities.
THREATS
Competitors will always be a threat to any company, but staying relevant with the times will offer
a competitive advantage. As Home Depot looks at expanding its online market, privacy and security
will become an even stronger threat. Just like what they experienced in 2014 where over 56 million
customers were affected by a data breach (Ragan, 2014).
After completing a SWOT analysis, it’s easy to see the success of Home Depot over the last couple
of years. The reality is that home improvement starts with the price tag, convenience of one-stop
shopping experience and customer service, and Home Depot’s strengths’ are specifically in this area.
However, there are a few threats and weaknesses that gone unnoticed, this could severely harm the
company. In order to tackle these areas, we will look at the opportunities that come with marketing to
Hispanics, Millennials and Women, while increasing brand awareness with the use of non-traditional
channels to reach these targets more effectively.

CAMPAIGNOBJECTIVES&STRATEGIES
OBJECTIVE #1
• Increase AWARENESS OF DIY PROJECTS by 20% within 12-months using Home Depot’s
products.
• Audience: Hispanics, Females and Millennials.
• Tools/media: Home Improvement TV shows, Radio, Newspaper, direct mail, Conferences,
Giveaways, Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few.
STRATEGIES
• Partner with home improvement TV networks like HGTV and Telemundo to target Hispanics,
Females and Millennials. The programs can feature a packaged project that offers a variety
of ideas that can meet any budget or style. The main host of the show can walk the customer
through the project by sharing where they can find the best products and prices at Home Depot.
• In addition, signage and collateral materials will be displayed in front of the store and the main
page of its website using a label “As you’ve seen it in (Name of the TV Show)” featuring a list of
materials used in the segment along with an alternative suggested list of materials for more
customization. These materials should be featured in English and Spanish languages.
• A series of blog pieces will also be created to help improve SEO rankings while searching for DIY
ideas that will lead them to the Home Depot site.
• Sponsor DIY conferences, races, festivals where Home Depot can feature or giveaway special
products to participants.
• Because “Excellent Customer Service” is one of Home Depot’s company values, a series of blog
pieces, photos and DIY video projects created by its own employees will be featured on Social
Media to help people 1) Get ideas about projects and 2) Provide them with a glimpse of the
associates look and style while putting a face to the company before they even visit the store.

OBJECTIVE #2
• Increase WEBSITE TRAFFIC by 10% within 12-months.
• Audience: Anyone who is interested in home improvement products including, Do-It-Yourself,
Do-it-For-Me and Contractors.
• Tools/media: Website, Mobile App, Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine,
Snapchat, in-store signage.
STRATEGIES
• Provide relevant articles online that will help people accomplish its projects, and since we are
partnering with TV shows, ensure there is a link from the online episode to the Home Depot
website.
• Develop a series of videos to engage its audience and create a culture of sharing content
organically. Videos such as parodies, educational, and even heartfelt story-telling videos that
highlights the philanthropic side of Home Depot helping people built better.
• Update or add SEO metadata to help increase the rank in search engines. In addition, add sharing
buttons on every page and run contest that encourage people to share its content.
• Add a “review product” section like what Amazon does on its website. This would also allow for
people to set up its personal profile and in turn begin to develop a relationship with the company
by creating an account.
• Use the DIY events to push people to the website and register for workshop of their interest.
• Create the same in-store experience by adding a 24/7 online bilingual help chat/customer
service on the website and mobile app, this would also help reinforce the “Excellence to
Customer Service” value.

OBJECTIVE #3
• Increase ONLINE SALES by 20% within 12-months.
• Audience: Millennials, Hispanics, and Contractors.
• Tools/media: Website, Mobile App, Email Campaigns, Social Media Contests, and Online Paid
Advertisement.
STRATEGIES
• Through the featured segments on TV shows, in-app advertisement, product reviews and
social media/blog pieces’ drive people to purchase products online or in the mobile app. Special
incentives, discounts or promotions offered only for online customers.
• In store, associates will promote the ability of getting additional discounts when downloading
the mobile app. In addition, install touch screens in the stores that allow the customer to find
the product in the store and offer additional ideas on how to use the product. The same concept
would be integrated in the mobile app mobile website.
• Use online paid advertisements on Facebook or YouTube to target customers based on their
search.
• Encourage customers to sign up to its email list to be among the first to receive/hear about the
latest offers.
• Offer 5% off discount on products used in DIY workshops, online only.
• Implement a three time Online-Only Garage Sale to encourage its customers to plan to buy
products in certain season. For example, the first sale can be in January to kick start year, the
second one could be “Christmas in July” and the last one in November for “Black Friday”.
• This marketing campaign objectives and strategy offers a cross-channel content distribution
that will allow Home Depot to position itself among the Hispanic, Female and Millennial target
audiences, while enhancing the overall brand loyalty with its current customers.

MEDIA PLAN
OBJECTIVES
In order to accomplish the three IMC objectives laid out as: 1) increasing awareness of DIY projects
by 20%, 2) increasing website traffic by 10%, and 3) increasing online sales by 20%, all three of them
within 12 months, our media objectives are defined as follow:
• To reach 50% of the target audience in the first three quarters, and 70% by the last quarter.
• 65% of the media efforts will be allocated during Home Depot’s peak season – springtime, and
35% will be for the reminder of the 12 months (Elkins, 2016).
• Increase number of mobile app downloads by 10,000 per month within 12 months.
• Increase website visits within the U.S. and Territories by 65,000 per month within 12 months.
STRATEGIES
• Television, magazine and outdoor advertisement will be used to engage and encourage
consumers to learn about DIY products and visit the website for additional ideas and savings.
• Partner with TV networks to be the main sponsor of main DIY shows in the springtime that
showcases Home Depot’s products.
• Use transit billboard advertisements mainly in California, Texas, Florida, and New York to reach
Millennials and the Hispanic population. (Pew Research Center, 2013).
• Use paid ads on magazines to reach the DIY community, social media audience and to inspire and
encourage current and prospective customers.’
• Take advantage of Hulu’s choice-based ads to target Millennials already interested in home
improvement projects.
• Implement a Spring Online-Only Garage Sale to increase online sales and website traffic by 30%
in the springtime.
• Design and integrate in-store signage to drive mobile app downloads and website traffic.

TACTICS
A combination of digital and traditional media will be utilized to execute the media objectives listed
above.
TELEVISION SPOTS
Two 30-second ad spots will be aired in four main local television networks such ABC, CBS, NBC and
Telemundo; in the specific geographic areas of New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Phoenix.
The television ad campaign will have different starting and ending time frames according to the
geographic location. For example, in California and Florida, the spots will begin to run a few weeks earlier
because the weather in those particular areas is usually warmer early in the year; whereas in New York and
Dallas the spots will begin to run a few weeks later to maximize the springtime campaign. The spots also
will be run during the prime time day and evening to target the age groups between 18-49, in shows such
as “Good Morning America” that has about a 1.7 million viewers (Poggie, 2014).
CABLE TV
Increasing awareness of DIY projects and
products will be driven through two 30 second
spots on HULU that has over 6 million subscribers
between ages 18-49 (Lynch, 2015). The advantage
of Hulu Advertising ads is that Hulu’s strategy to
allow the user to choose the ad they want to see
allows for a more targeted engaged audience (“Hulu
Advertising”, n.d.).
In addition, the products showcased in the respective networks HGTV (Love it or List It) and DIY
Network (Rehab Addict) will be sponsored by Home Depot, and the main host(s) of the program would
refer to Home Depot a couple times through the show. Both campaigns, DIY Network and HGTV, will

begin in January, which is the most-watched month and will continue on until the end of the summer (The
Futon Critic, 2014).
And to target specifically the Hispanic population, Home Depot will partner with Telemundo to
sponsor its newest TV show “SOS: Salva Mi Casa” that showcases a series of small and easy DIY projects
(“‘SOS: Salva Mi Casa’, New Spanish-Language How-To Series, to Provides Tips on Home Décor”, 2015).
PRINT/MAGAZINE
Four different full-page ads (one per publication), full color and very visually
appealing will be included in the Do It Yourself magazine that offers opportunities
to highlight the latest and greatest tools, gadgets, kits and more; and “Best of
Etsy,” must-have finds from the site featuring handmade items (Do-it-Yourself
Magazine, n.d.).

In addition, to reinforce and help connect the message seen in the TV shows, in-store
advertisement signage and collateral materials will be displayed in front of the store and the main page of
its website using a tagline such as “As you’ve seen it in Love it or Listed and Rehab Addict” and “Como lo
vio en SOS: Salva Mi Casa”. The tagline will be used to highlight a list of materials used in one or all of the
DIY TV shows segments and also offer an alternative list of suggested materials for more customization.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
Digital Billboards and Transit Shelters ads will also be used during Home Depot’s peak season.
This will allow us to reach those that commute and take public transportation to work. The ads will be
simple, yet empowering using the tagline “Let’s Do ________ (fill in the blank)” along with imagery that
showcases products found at Home Depot.
DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA
A specifically designed blog section will be added to the Home Depot website where Home Depot
associates will be contributing. Their photos taken with their traditional orange apron on will be displayed
with the intention that the reader feels the personal connection. These blogs will talk about best
practices, featured DIY projects, etc.
On Facebook and Pinterest, a series of posts, updates and photos regarding DIY projects will be
showcase with a link back to the Home Depot Blog for the entire story. The goal is to provide ideas and
inspiration to make their next project count. The tagline “Let’s Do _______ (fill in the blank)” used in
billboards will also be used in stores and in social media as a way for the audience to engage and share
what their next project will be. The combination of the blogs and the social media campaigns would
support the idea of making the customer the hero of their own project, and Home Depot the force that
provides the tools to the hero. No matter what the project is, if you can dream it, you can do it, and Home
Depot can help.

Last but not least, we’ll leverage per click advertisement ads in YouTube and Google AdWords
highlighting the “Spring Online-Only Garage Sale” to drive traffic to the website.
While these media strategies specifically target DIY-ers, women, Hispanics, and Millennials, the
overall campaign should also reach other constituents. It is important to keep the consistency of the
brand, colors, typography, style and feel consistent through all the channels in order to not confuse
people with other brands or movements.

CREATIVE STRATEGY STATEMENT
In this section we will compare the rational and emotional factors that influence the purchase
decisions and brand loyalty for DIY women, Millennial and Hispanics (our target audience) to help us
establish a common core strategy idea.
• Close proximity (many
locations)
• Wide range of product
selection
• Competitive prices
• Ease of finding everything in
one trip
• Free workshops
• Quality products
• Knowledge of product
application
• Fear of not knowing where to
start
• Comfortable asking for help
• Creative expression
• Project ownership pride
• Feeling of supporting a cause
greater than themselves
• Sense of community/
connection
RATIONALFACTORS
EMOTIONALFACTORS
“IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, WE CAN HELP YOU BUILD IT WITH A WIDE RANGE OF
QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AT AFFORDABLE PRICES!”
Rejected Creative Statements
• Find everything for all your home improvement needs in one place.
• Let us help you make the most of your next project.
• Let’s build it together.
• A DIYer’s best friend!

Creative Brief
Client: The Home Depot
Why are we advertising?
To enter the DIY market as the go-to place for home improvement projects, while increasing online
sales by 20%.
Whom are we talking to?
Young professional women between 21 and 40 with a college degree and Latino families.
What do they currently think?
Home Depot is the place for people (mostly men) that know how to do ‘major’ home building/
improvement/repair projects.
What would we like them to think?
Home improvement projects are not just for professionals; Home Depot has everything to help
them complete their next project like a pro.
What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?
If you dream it, we can help you build it with a wide range of quality products and services at
affordable prices.
Why should they believe it?
There’s no better feeling than coming to a home that feels like you.
Are there any creative guidelines?
Full page magazine ad, Two 3-second spot ads, DIY weekly email, outdoor billboard and transit
shelters, in-store-signage, website, mobile app, paid advertisement, use of social networks such as
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and press releases.
Campaign must be able to be translated in both traditional and digital forms. Develop concepts that
integrate social community interactions. Incorporate mobile app and social media elements.

DIRECT MARKETING
OBJECTIVES
• Increase EMAIL DATABASE BY 10% within 12 months.
• Use targeted EMAILS TO DRIVE WEBSITE TRAFFIC BY 10% within 12 months.
• Increase ONLINE SALES BY 20% within 12 months. (Proposed replacement: get a certain number
or percentage of new rewards program memberships
STRATEGY
The main direct marketing strategy for Home Depot will be to focus on growth and retention of its
email database to help drive traffic to its website and potentially generate online sales.
TACTICS
Increase EMAIL DATABASE by 10% within 12 months
A pop up overlay window will appear as soon as the customer visits HomeDepot.com. The content
of the pop up will highlight the FREE DIY Workshops and encourage them to sign up to receive its
newsletter for the latest workshops, savings and more. In addition, there will be a contrasting color bar at
the top of the page reminding visitors to sign up to the newsletter and receive $10 off in their next online
purchase.
At the top and bottom of the email, there will be a button that says “Email to a friend” that users can
use to forward the email to up to 10 people with a personalized message (Urban, 2014).
Use TARGETED EMAILS TO DRIVE WEBSITE TRAFFIC by 10% within 12 months.
A featured and customizable email will be available through the website for customers to sign up
and choose the information they want to receive. This will provide us with a database of customers that
we can send regular emails featuring specific DIY projects, how-to-videos and upcoming workshops

on Tuesday afternoon that according to Landis-Shack has the highest open rate compared to the other
weekdays. The content of the email will be mainly catchy headlines with photos and a small overview of
the product to peak customer’s curiosity to read full content on the website. A second email will be send
on Saturday morning to remind customers about special weekend sales or projects, and unlike the first
one, this one will feature a coupon that customers can easily add to their Home Depot account that can
be accessed through the website or mobile app (Landis-Shack, n.d.).
Increase NEW REWARDS PROGRAM MEMBERSHIP by 20% within 12 months.
A membership rewards program will be created for online customers only, where they can save
and additional 10% off with every purchase, and have early access to the Online Garage Sale Events and
workshop sign up.
We’ll begin by optimizing the website for speed and mobile devices, while also adding a member’s
only portal for customization, and customer product review section to increase ecommerce conversions
(Hayes, 2012). Free shipping will be used as an incentive to shop online, as well as the option of being able
to pick up the item in store the same day when ordering through the website.
A weekly member-only email will be sent offering weekly special online coupons, DIY ideas, as well
as special partner offers and articles. The redeemable online coupons and click troughs in both email and
website will allow us to measure the growth of this campaign.
In addition, when customers sign up for the first time, they will have the opportunity to receive in
the main a free orange apron by subscribing to the mailing list. This will allow Home Depot to develop a
database for mailing purposes.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Home Depot’s public relations efforts will focus on building relationships with the local community,
increase awareness of DIY project supplies and positive customer satisfaction feedback. The following
measurable public relations objectives will allow Home Depot to become the go-to place for DIY supplies
while making a positive impact in the community.
OBJECTIVES
• Increase DIY project supplies awareness among women by 60% in 12 months.
• Generate at least 24 positive media reports based on Home Depot’s community involvement.
• Increase positive customer feedback by 60% within 12 months.
• Generate 30% engagement increase in Social Media.
STRATEGIES
Partner with local schools and female-led community groups in an effort to empower them to build a
better community through DIY projects.
Produce one mini-documentary that showcases Home Depot’s commitment to the community,
while promoting DIY project supplies.
Create engaging exhibit-like experiences that highlight DIY projects, tools and resources.
Optimize Home Depot’s website, blog content, and social media channels to target customers
searching for DIY project ideas.
Cultivate relationships with women through outreach and educational programs.
Produce two exclusive sale events, one in the Spring, and the other during Black Friday to maximize
the already record sales season (Soni, 2015).

TATICS
Home Depot’s commitment to the community will be an integral element for the first press release.
The first announcement will unveil a partnership between local schools and Home Depot associates to
teach after-school how-to-workshops, while engaging students in DIY projects. In addition, teachers will
receive a 10% off discount in DIY supplies, as well as all the benefits from the customer reward program
when signing up to the new DIY newsletter where they will receive information on the latest products,
inspiring stories and creative DIY ideas. This tactic will allow us to also increase the women demographic
email list because according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 76 percent of public school
teachers are female. (Mallery, 2011).
Students, parents and teachers will be a part of a special rewards program in which they accumulate
points that can be redeemed at a Home Depot store every time they submit a product review.
Additionally, at the end of each quarter, a customer experience survey will be send out to every teacher
that is a part of the after-school program. One of the questions in the survey will include an opportunity
for them to submit a customer review on the Home Depot website.
Press releases will be send out, one every month, highlighting a different school project and sharing
about the impact that Home Depot’s associates are having in the community. Teachers, students
and parents will be encouraged to use a designated hashtag on social media platforms to share their
projects for a chance to win a $500 gift card to use on their next big DIY project. The combination of the
learning experience from the workshops and the personal relationship with the associates teaching the
workshops will allow for teachers, parents and students to begin creating an emotional connection with
the brand and the products.
Additionally, the how-to-workshops will be expanded to female and Hispanic non-profit groups. A
dedicated outreach vehicle, designed to create an engaging exhibit-like experience, will travel across the
cities creating awareness of DIY workshops. Inside the vehicle, people will have the opportunity to have

a hands-on workshop experience, while promoting the use of certain tools through the process. At the
end of the workshop, people will have the opportunity to take a photo with their completed project, and
in order to receive the photo via email, the photo station will ask them if they want to share it on social
media, attaching the hashtag #IDidItSoCanYou automatically to their post.
The Home Depot will further generate social media engagement, awareness of DIY projects and
positive community engagement by increasing audience participation and brand emotional connection
with an 8ft height by 20ft wide chalk board placed at a local park in each of the four target market regions.
The sentences “My next DIY project is _____________” and “I build it with ____________” will be the fill in
the blank question that will encourage people to start thinking about DIY projects while sharing with the
community ideas and generating content to use on the website, social media and press releases.
A hashtag #ISpyMyNextDIYIdea will be encouraged to be used when sharing on social media about
their experience on the community chalk board.
Press releases for the Home Depot vehicle and the community chalk board will be send out to the
local stations. Additionally, in the Home Depot website, a map (based on their zip code) will highlight
when and where the Home Depot vehicle will be next in their community, offering $50 gift cards to the
first 10 people that visit the vehicle, generating the perfect opportunity for news stories.
Two big exclusive sale events will be produced, one in the Spring and the second one on Black Friday.
The emotional approach to promote this event in the community will be by producing a 45-minute mini-
documentary showcasing the stories of everyday normal women that have paved the path for a better
community. The documentary will be inspiring, heartfelt, patriotic, emotional and with a call to action to
nominate someone that has demonstrated at least three of Home Depot values in their everyday life for
a chance to win a full room makeover as a way to honor them for being a part of a community that has
helped America be great. The winner will be revealed and highlighted at the exclusive sale events.
Additionally, the video will be released on the Home Depot website and YouTube. The video will be

promoted via email blast, social media, and a press release will be sent to local stations. The designated
Home Depot page where the video will be showcased will have a nomination form and an email sign up
form to join a DIY project challenge, where right after they sign up to the list, the customer will be re-
directed to a page of 15 easy DIY ideas that include project tools list, and a button to click “I did it” will be
added.

MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION PLAN
In order to see the effectiveness of the campaign, a series of measurements and evaluations will be
implemented. The results will allow the strategic team to make modifications as needed to the overall
campaign. The methodologies that will be used are as follow:
Pre Testing
Prior to starting the proposed IMC plan, a variety of focus test groups will be conducted among
the specific target markets defined for this campaign. This will allow the strategy team to analyze the
perception of the customers about the brand perception, ad copy, design and the overall concept of the
campaign, before the new initiatives are introduced.
The recognition method will help the strategy team to measure and evaluate the efficiency of print
and digital Hulu ads of this campaign, and discover whether the ads effectively deliver the Home Depot
brand promise of “More doing. More saving.”. Personal in-store interviewers, and online surveys will be
used in a minimum sample of 300 females and males, Millennials and Hispanics. Participants will be asked
to look at a series of different ads and provide specific responses. Ideally, this method will provide us with
a noting score of at least 75%, a brand-associated score of 65%, and a read-most score of at least 50%.
Post Testing
At the end of the campaign, a second series of focus test groups will also be conducted to be
compare and analyze the impact of the campaign over the 12 months. Customer feedback surveys will
be encouraged through the Home Depot website, mobile app and in-store. Incentives such as gift cards,
special VIP members-only events, products, among others, will be offered to encourage participation.

CONCLUSION
Despite of the ups and downs of the housing market in the last decade, Home Depot has managed
to remained one of the titans in the home improvement industry. Its remarkable customer service
has positioned the company as the go-to place for many homeowners and contractors. But like the
changes in the house market, demographic and psycho-graphic shift trends play a big role that if gone
unacknowledged could drastically make Home Depot loose the battle field in the home improvement
industry.
The campaign will capitalize on Home Depot’s exceptional customer service mixing traditional
and non-traditional media. The implementation of this plan will be geared towards reaching the up and
coming biggest market of Millennials, Hispanics and Women, while increasing sales and brand awareness.
The Integrated Marketing Communications Plan presented is strategically designed to position the
Home Depot organization as the home improvement leader in the ever-changing market and set the
organization apart from its competitors for years to come.

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