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True Value is a national collective of independently owned and operated hardware stores. But many consumers, especially Gen Z and younger Millennials, are unaware of the True Value brand and the benefits of shopping at their local hardware store. To win them over, True Value needed to tap into shared values with DIYers to rebuild awareness, drive consideration and, ultimately, increase store traffic.
By combining first- and third-party data, we found that DIYers and True Value had a shared grounding principal that no big-box hardware store could claim: independence—the drive to be self-reliant and the joy of accomplishing things for themselves. From that insight, we created the “Your Project, Your Way” campaign focused on how True Value fuels the independence of DIYers to make every project possible.
To shift brand preference away from much larger competitors and back toward mom & pop True Value hardware shops, the campaign needed to identify with DIYers in such a profound way, it would change the way they approached every home project. The search for that catalyst started and stopped with Nick Offerman.
From Offerman’s role on Parks & Rec to his real-life love of woodworking, he was an authority in the space and had become this generation’s icon for doing things yourself and doing them your way. Not to mention, he has a known dislike for big box conglomerates. When we reached out, Offerman shared that he actually learned much of what he knows about hardware from his own hometown True Value in Minooka, IL. He even remembered the owner’s name. The pairing was kismet.
By using Offerman’s no-nonsense tone and dry wit (and by workshopping the scripts with the actor), we create a series of spots that showed people everywhere that they too could become, as Nick put it, “a self-sufficient mammal.”
Since the best performances are delivered when the talent is comfortable, we surrounded Nick with a group of actors he works with on a regular basis. Much of Offerman’s comedy also comes from his expressions and reactions, so by pulling our supporting cast from shows like Parks & Rec, Loot, Madmen, The Big Door Prize and Curb Your Enthusiasm, we ensured they had the comedic background to make even the smallest moments and cuts an opportunity for something special.
Nick launched the spots on his own social channels, and we backed them up with streaming pause ads, digital placements, paid META, TikTok and Pinterest, pre-roll, steaming audio and paid search—all focused on helping people claim independence over their homes.
In only the first 13 days of the campaign being live, website traffic increased by 144%. And within 4 months, awareness among Gen Z and Millennial shoppers had jumped by 12%. Even our click-through rates beat industry benchmarks by 52%, showing that the next generation of DIYers were seeking out their local True Value to fuel their own independence.
NOTE: RESULTS LISTED ARE CONFIDENTIAL
