Mitre 10’s new ad campaign seeks to add more DIY customers to their already strong trade base.
The Mitre 10 group has always had an individual way of doing things, but their new ad campaign may be the first time public nudity has played a role.
With tongue firmly planted in cheek (not that cheek) for some of the creative but backed up by very serious service commitments for all customers, whether industry or nudists needing painting tips, the group has recently begun its multi-channel rebranding across print, TV, outdoor signage and digital, launching its new tagline “The Other Hardware Store”.
The brand’s traditional strengths, from its iconic blue to its strong trade focus, remain, but from brochures to buses, the campaign will remind Australians that they have a choice in hardware stores – or over 350 individual store choices, to be more precise.
“The research shows that many Australians are on autopilot where they shop for their DIY needs, and while Mitre 10 is known for service and quality of range amongst existing customers, we are often not considered in the moment of hardware store choice by people unfamiliar with our brand,” explains Karen Fahey, Mitre 10’s general manager of marketing. “They’re missing out – we can give them solutions to their home improvement challenges on their first trip.
“Builders and the trade understand the value that Mitre 10 brings to their daily lives – expertise that we’ve built up over generations can save them time and money. We saw an opportunity to engage with those less familiar with our brand. To stop them in their tracks and let them know what is so special about the ‘other’ store. It’s disruptive, fun and memorable. We don’t take ourselves seriously but we take our customers very seriously and we take immense pride in the particular care and attention we give them.”
The campaign was developed by creative agency Dig, a Melbourne- and Sydney-based firm with a strong track record in multi-channel campaigns that mix witty visuals with cut-through, person-driven messages.
Chief creative officer at Dig, Peter Cerny, says, “This idea challenges the category by embracing Australians’ love of the underdog. The campaign cleverly plays-off the salience of the bigger brand, while not poking at it. Developing a distinctive and relatable tone was a real opportunity for Mitre 10 to stand out in a category that tends to be bland and impersonal.”
Fahey and the hundreds of independent traders who make up Mitre 10 are thrilled with the results. “We are different, and proud of it,” Fahey says.
“This is an open invite to all of Australia to experience hardware another way – in store or online. Because the grass isn’t just greener on the other side… it’s blue!
You can check out the entire ad campaign at www.mitre10.com.au/the-other-hardware-store
