Objective: 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.
Solution: 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 houses – and show our target group on their way to the store how nice also their home could look. Each “Renovated Billboard” shows in a simple but very striking way how DIY products from OBI can make your house look nicer. And by making our own DIY-billboards instead of using regular spaces, we also show how much something can look better if you do it yourself.
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.