True or False: Iconic soccer star David Beckham shops at The Home Depot. According to the home improvement retailer: True.
Beckham is the perfect fit for Home Depot’s summer marketing campaign, as the brand is tying together Beckham’s passion for gardening and the timing of the FIFA World Cup, said Whit Friese, Vice President, Creative Marketing at the home improvement retailer.
The “Build it Like Beckham” campaign shows Beckham shopping for materials at The Home Depot to then build an ideal backyard setup to watch the World Cup. While shooting the spot at The Home Depot store, Beckham pointed out his favorite aisles, Friese said, which highlights what an authentic fit he is.
“We don’t actually want him kicking a soccer ball through the aisles of Home Depot; We want to show this other side of them, this true hands-on,” Friese said. “At the end of the day, we’re not here to sell soccer. We’re here to sell our amazing helpfulness in the home improvement category. So how do we bring that across in this amazing moment?”
Brands Want Beckham
Many brands are connecting their marketing campaigns to the World Cup to show their cultural relevance. And Beckham is out there capitalizing on the moment, representing several brands, including Adidas, Bank of America and Stella. This shows that Beckham is relevant and so it’s OK with The Home Depot that he is representing multiple brands right now.
“If you would’ve asked me that question 10, 15 years ago, I would probably have a different answer,” Friese said. “But today it’s so common for most of this great talent, whether they’re athletes or Hollywood celebrities to be in multiple brands. And I think consumers are okay with it. They get it.”
Already it cost The Home Depot more than $1 million to use Beckham and to get him exclusively, “would be more money than the Home Depot has for marketing,” Friese said.
Celebrities Cut Through Marketing Clutter
Brands tap celebrity talent for commercials because it helps grab attention, especially during highly watched sporting events when many brands use top-level talent. Historically, The Home Depot has shied away from celebrity spokespeople, but it’s recently ramped it up, with former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and former National Football League coach Nick Saban.
“If it’s authentic, if it makes sense, it does pop through the clutter,” he said.
It’s a tricky balance, Friese said, because The Home Depot doesn’t want to fall into the trap of having consumers remember the commercial but not the brand, which is why the brand needs an authentic tie-in.
“It’s not a sure thing just because you go out and pay for a big partner,” Friese said. “But if it’s connected correctly, I do think we’ve seen it for decades that it’s very positive.”
Also in the commercial is actor Josh Lucas narrating Beckham’s activities. This celebrity appearance also makes sense, Friese said, as Lucas has been the voiceover in Home Depot commercials for years, he just has never before been on camera.
Campaign ROI
It took about nine months from idea to final product to create the campaign, Friese said. In addition to the TV spot, The Home Depot also has a sweepstakes and an in-store experiential space of “Beckham’s Backyard” in about 10 stores close to World Cup host stadiums.
The retail chain will combine all of these dimensions into the campaign’s return on investment. For example, the sweepstakes promotion was a “big success” in getting consumers to download The Home Depot app, use the app in multiple ways and purchase through it, Friese said. In fact, daily app installs increased 30% compared to its average.
“We saw a huge bounce in people who hadn’t used the app in a long time going back into the app and seeing all the different features we have in it now, and so that was really helpful,” Friese said. “David is this halo across a lot of things beyond the on-air and social spots themselves.”
