Ace Hardware Launches Campaign to Define 'Moment of Help'

Ace is the place where you can’t possibly contain your enthusiasm for self-propelled mowers.That purposefully meter-stretching wordplay is the punch line — after a father enters an Ace Hardware store with his son and says it’s time for the boy to start doing the lawn — in one of 25 separate cheeky television spots airing nationally as part of a new Ace Hardware campaign that dusts off the venerable “Ace is the place” jingle.For example, Ace is also the place with the stuff for squeaking hinges that’s called WD-40, not 10w40, which is motor oil that they also sell. And when it comes to paint samples, Ace is the place for a taste before you buy the whole meal. That’s a metaphor, the spot cautions. You shouldn’t actually eat paint.Ad agency O’Keefe, Reinhard & Paul, Chicago, strove for authenticity in surveying more than 100 Ace retailers and employees to get a sense of typical customer requests and how Ace associates respond to them regarding everything from lawn and garden projects, to painting selection, to fighting insect infestation. The videos, filmed at Ace stores in Houston, Orlando (see below) and Chicago, star 25 owners and associates and 40 customers, and showcase brands like Sears Holdings' Craftsman, Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.'s Scotts and Weber-Stephen Products' Weber.“We wanted to build on our helpful heritage and utilize our three biggest differentiators — our jingle, our brand and our people — to communicate to consumers in a truly authentic and Ace-ownable way that Ace has exactly what they need to complete their projects, from best brands to helpful associates,” says Jeff Gooding, senior director of marketing and advertising for the cooperative.The campaign targets consumers over age 35 who are reaching the life stage where they purchase homes and have families, and particularly those over 50 “because we know convenience, help and quality matter to them,” Gooding says. “Our brand promise starts to align with their needs, so we purchase our media against the 35-54 demo.”The company’s research showed that many consumers are unsure whether their corner hardware store has what they need to complete home projects, Gooding says. “The campaign’s primary messages are that Ace carries the best brands, and that we have the breadth and depth of product to help our neighbors succeed,” he says. “We talked to more than 100 Ace owners and associates and conducted numerous store visits to find out — directly from the folks on the front line of the brand — the most common questions from customers and examples of how store associates have gone above and beyond to service their neighbors.”Launched March 2 and scheduled to continue throughout 2016, the path-to-purchase campaign also features 15 radio spots as well as social media activity, online content, e-mail marketing and direct mail, along with promotional offers designed to drive consumers in store, Gooding says. “The campaign is a platform for Ace to promote its national sales events throughout the year that are executed by retailers on the store level,” he says.In-store materials include endcaps, window posters, standees, basket liners and counter mats. “The elements depict what we’ve dubbed ‘The Moment of Help,’ which celebrates the authentic interactions that happen every day between Ace associates and customers,” Gooding says. “For the in-store environment, this comes to life with an image of an associate showcasing product in a helpful manner as if the viewer is the customer.”Ace ultimately plans to measure the success of the campaign through increases in sales, transactions and awareness of the cooperative’s brands and selection. That “would mean that our key messages are resonating with our target customers — meaning they understand how Ace can help them succeed with their home maintenance projects,” he says. “We’ll be carefully measuring and monitoring its impact as we determine plans beyond this year.”In addition to O’Keefe, Reinhard & Paul, which handled campaign development and creative, the effort drew upon the services of Publicis Groupe’s Spark, New York, for media planning, buying and distribution of the new spots. Overall, Ace will spend approximately $60 million on marketing efforts in 2016, double the budget of recent years, Gooding says.“Our neighbors have been singing our ‘Ace is the place’ jingle for decades,” he says. “With this campaign, we’re defining what ‘helpful hardware folks’ truly means by featuring real Ace associates in real Ace stores, solving real problems of real neighbors.”

Ace Hardware Launches Campaign to Define 'Moment of Help'

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