2013 was a tough year for DIY stores in Germany. In the aftermath of nearly 250 stores closing down and faced by an ugly mass of low budget advertising, OBI (the biggest chain of DIY stores in Germany) was looking for something else.
As the usual DIY target group is mainly more down-to-earth we were also looking for something real – not the usual advertising promises.
Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation
We asked ourselves "Why does everybody advertise things that can make our homes look nicer, in a way that makes our cities look uglier?"
We decided to make a difference and renovated houses. But only an area the exact size of a regular advertising billboard:
“The Renovated Billboards.”
Approaching our target group on their way to DIY stores, our Renovated Billboards pushed DIY ads beyond simply advertising paint, brushes, saws or hammers. We advertise more beautiful homes. The medium becomes the ad!
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results
Of course the campaign created quite some buzz on blogs and social media like facebook and youtube. But as DIY-customers are more hands on and in the “real world”, our most important results where the positive and encouraging reactions of people on the street and in the OBI stores. We don’t have exact numbers, but the response was so good, that we’re already working on a second flight for 2014.
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service
Each Renovated Billboard shows in a simple but very striking way how the DIY products from OBI can bring out the best of houses and make them look nicer.
We don’t show products or any beautiful pictures – we just show what OBI products can do and let the results speak for themselves. In other words: The medium is the ad and our message is so honest and simple as it could be.
By making our own DIY-billboards instead of using regular spaces, we also proof to our target group again how much better it can look if you do it yourself.