March 1, 2022
(press release)
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Home Depot is spotlighting early risers in a new campaign as it tries to close the skilled trade gap. As its biggest sales season gets underway, Home Depot is trying to continue its pandemic momentum with a new campaign that spotlights its earliest-rising customers. Beginning today, the home improvement retailer is debuting “5:45,” a new push featuring its real-life shoppers. The voiceover in a 30-second spot asks, “What kind of person would come here at 5:45 a.m.?” as it shows drivers patiently waiting in a Home Depot parking lot for the doors to open at 6 a.m. The spot introduces Carly, a carpenter like her dad, and Juan, who is building a house and a better life. Get your ticket for the April 5 Ad Age Next: Retail event at AdAge.com/NextRetail. The commercials, which kick off the retailer’s spring selling season, will debut on TV and social channels. They mark the first time Home Depot has included real customers on broadcast channels. “Instead of focusing on the products that are helping customers get the job done this spring, 5:45 is about the people that are dedicated to the projects—so dedicated that they are at the store before it opens,” Adolfo Villagomez, Home Depot’s chief marketing officer and senior VP-online, wrote in an email. “Hopefully these stories can help to inspire others to become doers.” Villagomez added that the 5:45 campaign is part of Home Depot’s effort to support the skilled trade industry, where there are more than 300,000 open jobs in the U.S. for trades including plumbing and carpentry. Digital ads will highlight the brand’s “Path to Pro” program, a four-year-old initiative that offers training and networking. Home Depot worked with BBDO Atlanta on the new marketing. The agency relationship began in the back half of last year after BBDO was named agency of record following a competitive review. A full spring campaign will debut later this year. Like many home-focused retailers, Home Depot saw sales success during the pandemic as customers outfitted their home offices and invested in new house projects. For its most recent quarter, the company reported an 11% rise in net sales to $35.7 billion. Yet the brand is also plagued by supply chain challenges, as executives noted on a recent earnings call. “Over the last year, we faced a number of challenges, including rising cost pressures, disruptions throughout the supply chain and the ongoing pandemic,” said Ted Decker, chief executive and president, on the call.
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