Well-timed campaigns drive buzz for home improvement stores

BANK holidays often see Britons take to our backyards, kitchens and bathrooms in an attempt at a bit of DIY.

So it is no surprise that two of the biggest players in that market, B&Q and Wickes, looked to capitalise on this time of year with their pre-Easter advertising campaigns.

B&Q’s “I did that” campaign, highlighting the pride that comes with completing a DIY project, was joined by a “You Can Do It Crew” initiative over the weekend, which aimed to make more staff available to handle increased social media enquiries, and support customers requiring advice.

Over a similar period, Wickes ran a 25 per cent off campaign.

INCREASING BRAND BUZZ
Both campaigns have been successful in raising buzz as measured by YouGov’s BrandIndex; B&Q is up from +8 at the start of April to +15 now (its highest 2012 score), while Wickes climbed from +7 to +11.

In contrast, competitor Homebase has remained relatively stable (+6 at the start of the month and +5 now).

DRIVING EASTER SALES
So positive attention has been generated, which should have helped B&Q and Wickes stay at the forefront of consumers’ minds when it came to DIY over the Easter weekend.

It will be interesting to see whether there is a longer term impact on brand image over the next few weeks.

The overall image scores for both brands have been very consistent this year, with B&Q hovering between +26 and +30 (currently at +28) on the Index (a composite of six key image measures).

Wickes and Homebase, meanwhile, have been trading second spot with each other around the +16 mark.

Whether the campaigns and B&Q’s additional customer service will help move those scores, extending the B&Q lead or enabling Wickes to pull away from Homebase, will be seen over the next few weeks.

Stephan Shakespeare is the chief executive of YouGov

Source : Stephan Shakespeare – CityAM.com
www.cityam.com/latest-news/stephan-shakespeare/well-timed-campaigns-drive-buzz-home-improvement-stores