Hornbach

Depicting unfinished-job angst as a man being chased by his half-done bathroom adeptly taps into the psychology of do-ityourself, thus Heimat’s spots for German DIY store Hornbach have given DIY ads an expert makeover. Like a dovetail joint, this fits nicely – seeing as how the agency’s name translates as home. Belinda Archer opens their tool box...

DIY advertising – that is, advertising for DIY stores, rather than advertising you knock up yourself with some fancy software and a laptop – is more often than not uninspiring. Top DIY stores in the UK, for instance, usually run ‘empowering’ commercials that feature their own workforce brandishing hammers and drills and saying how easy it all is. But Hornbach, Germany’s leading do-it-yourself superstore chain, has been running funny, alternative, dark, generally out-there ads for the past 10 years, since Heimat in Berlin got their hands on the account, in fact. And the work has helped to nudge the creative bar for the sector noticeably upwards.

Spots include the beautifully simple and rather dark Cow, in which two workers sweating over the construction of an outdoor decking area, are disturbed by the noise of a cow chomping its way through a crucial bag of screws. They look at one another, then spot a chainsaw lying unused. The ad closes on the noise of the chainsaw in action – the cow nowhere to be seen… Another, Finish It, taps into the whole idea of how we all have abandoned DIY jobs lurking around the house. In this instance a man’s entire unfinished bathroom chases him down the street. ‘Finish it, before it finishes you’ says the ominous endline. And there are plenty of others that gloriously exploit the general blood, sweat and tears of home improvement and that, well, hit the nail on the head when it comes to understanding the mental stresses and frustrations of DIY.

So how did Heimat and Hornbach come together in the first place, and what is the story behind this successful advertising reinvention? Juergen Schroecker, chief marketing officer at Hornbach, who has been with the company since 1999, begins: “In 2000 there was a pitch, which was won by Heimat. Their understanding of our brand and what is important to our customers as well as their creative concept was outstanding.”

The brief to the pitching agencies was simple: Hornbach described their core target group as “project customers”, the people actually doing the building, renovating/refurbishing and gardening projects, and outlined their specific needs regarding range of product, price and service. “We asked the agencies to create TV spot concepts and to make suggestions for the logo and other ideas. The briefing did not include requests to be very humorous or especially creative,” he says.

Interestingly, the work up until then had been based on leaflets and print ads, but the decision had been made to go on to television. “Hornbach advertising was very conservative,” continues Schroecker. “That doesn’t mean that it was not good. For many years there was a very special way to do the ads. For example, the products were shown not with photos but with illustrations. Then the marketing – or better the company’s strategy – changed generally and there was a feeling that we had to have a new style. The advertising was based basically on leaflets and print ads, but the decision to do television was made before the pitch.”

There had, in fact, been a single TV ad just before the Heimat/Hornbach relationship kicked off which had – rather worryingly – displayed a similar approach to generic DIY ads that run the world over today.

Guido Heffels, managing partner, CD and one of the four founders of Heimat, recalls: “Shortly before the Hornbach/Heimat relationship there was an in-house produced TV campaign focusing on Hornbach employees and their personal statements about quality, customer services, low prices etc. It was produced by them, shot on video and simple-hearted. This of course had a naive appeal and put Hornbach on the map within weeks as it was their first ever TV appearance.” But Heimat took over and soon set to work, injecting new life into Hornbach’s TV presence. The agency remained true to the brand’s advertising heritage to some degree, however, by focusing on “honesty, a true partnership with its customers, and best product quality for the lowest possible price”, rather than creativity for creativity’s sake.

“We started from the brand’s core values and added a genuine understanding of the enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer attitude,” explains Heffels. “And besides this, we established a language and tonality: simple, to the point and addressed to the right people, people that do not have to do it (because it is cheaper) but who want to do it. People that can relate to the now well-known slogan we use nationally: ‘Es gibt immer was zu tun’ (There is a always a job to be done) – house owners know that this is so damn true. [It was aimed at] people who do not consider DIY a burden but who are on a mission, a mission to improve their home.” In fact, the ‘Es gibt immer was zu tun’ line was the spark that started the Hornbach fire, according to Heffels, because it clearly demonstrated a deep understanding of do-it-yourselfing.

Schroecker explains why the company decided to go with Heimat’s approach: “First, it was not only interesting and original, but very much focused on our marketing strategy, the target group, the USPs. It was clear, that the concept was based on rational criteria (assortment, price...) and also emotional (tonality, style, motivations). Second, we were convinced that the emotional component, combined with the humour and positive atmosphere would be very successful.”

Soon Heimat were hoist by their own petard, however: producing such sector-busting advertising prompted rivals to copy it, instantly making their job more difficult. “When we started the first TVCs they were funny, sometimes obscure and weird. This was considered new and fresh in the DIY retail market,” reflects Heffels. “But what usually happens happened, in that the competitors started to imitate what we did. So we went ever further with our campaign.”

The commercial Heartbeats marked the next step, demonstrating the pure heroism at the heart of real DIY by going deeply into the emotional meaning of doing it yourself with the tagline ‘In every project there is a part of you’. Heimat’s ongoing work for Hornbach robustly demonstrates what a rich creative seam the DIY market can be. From the Kafka-esque man-chased-bybathroom of Finish It, to The Rise and Fall of Ron Hammer, an amateur video that seemed to depict US stuntman Ron Hammer trying – and failing – to set a new world record by jumping over the Hornbach DIY superstore in Berlin. It was a fake of course, but the viral made a huge buzz, with the fictional Ron Hammer’s exploits becoming the talk of the nation so that, for a while, fiction and reality blurred.

Another showcase for Heimat’s creative approach to the DIY sector is The House of Imagination. This was a cultural project that took place in the centre of Berlin, in which an abandoned apartment building was taken over by 12 international interior designers, artists and sound researchers. They all brought to life their own ideas for wackily innovative living spaces, from rooms that could only be smelled or heard, to fantasy rooms and rooms just for kids, with a temporary music club installed on the fourth floor. The classic Hornbach campaign slogan was painted on the outside of the house, and in total over 2000 people attended the official multimedia opening, with spin-off TV ads to exploit the idea further.

“As long as you do not lose contact with the target audience, their needs, their fears etc. you cannot go wrong,” says Heffels. “The best ideas we have had over the years always have one thing in common; a connection between DIY and specific contemporary issues, the zeitgeist or economic/political situations.” The inspirational, evocative Hymn, for instance, sprang from the financial crisis and the appeal for people to take their lives into their own hands, to stop complaining about the situation and start fixing things. It depicted a series of beautifully shot scenes that reflect the litany of stuff that needs clearing up and sorting out, from wobbling tables to cracked walls, reaching a crescendo with the line ‘Make it your project’.

Many of the ads utilise facets of basic human nature, such as the Haunted spot, which deals with the wholly understandable trait of putting things off and postponing jobs that need to be done.

But the campaign is broadly and fundamentally based on the fact that you can create something great with your own hands, explains Heffels. “We are seeing a growing interest in DIY, especially in these digital times. We are giving people back the good old feeling of ‘I did it myself’ and are being a reliable partner in providing people with the right stuff to get it done perfectly.”

Heimat’s key executional shift has led Hornbach to a unique and outstanding position in the highly competitive DIY market, making the brand independent from the usual, endless low-lower-lowest price war. Such a message is particularly important, according to the agency, given that the chain’s 130 superstores are usually located outside cities so they have to make their target group go the extra mile, passing by all the competitors to reach their stores. “Our growth in sales is higher than that of our competitors, while the key market research figures with regard to image factors and acceptance have increased,” continues Schroecker. “Direct feedback from customers and employees as well as several other studies and reports has also confirmed the positive results.”

Creative awards have been deservedly plentiful. Hornbach won the ADC of Europe Grand Prix in 2007 and 2009, the Grand Prix of the German ADC in 2009, and even Germany’s first ever Titanium/Integrated Lion (a silver) at Cannes 2009 for The House of Imagination. It has also landed numerous silvers and bronze at the Clios, LIAAs, plus the Grand Prix (2008) and several golds, silvers and bronzes at Eurobest, while it also made it into the D&AD book last year.

And there have been effectiveness plaudits too, such as the Grand Prix at the international AME awards this year for House of Imagination, German Effies in gold and silver, and two EuroEffie nominations so far.

Not that the agency or client are driven by awards, insists Heffels. “What Heimat in general does is not to support the increasing trend for ideas made for awards shows. Whatever you see from Hornbach are true, honest pieces of work, presented to Hornbach, paid for by Hornbach, making sense for Hornbach and successfully working for Hornbach. This way of working together keeps our results fresh and Hornbach fans in a permanent state of surprise. What will these guys come up with next?” he says.

Output on the account consists of a spring season and summer/ autumn season. Whatever their idea might be, they then find the right media to get their message across. Media decisions follow idea decisions, not vice versa, then they find the right people to execute the idea, either in-house or somewhere in their growing creative entourage.

In addition to these main two seasons of activity they also have a fistful of smaller campaigns that focus on specific target groups or issues, such as old people or women. “From time to time we allow ourselves to speak to non-traditional Hornbach customers. Founding the House of Imagination was one of these ideas. This event truly underlined the fact that Hornbach is part of the contemporary pop culture. It is still a milestone for the whole retail market,” says Heffels.

It is now more than a decade since the agency landed the account, and Heimat particularly appreciates the longevity of the association. “What in general happens is a three-year period of collaboration until the next round begins. New CEO , marketing manager on the client’s side, new agency on the other. The curse of the ad sector,” says Heffels. “What we prefer is a close relationship between us and our clients. Going through all the ups and downs together. Rethinking and reworking whenever there is a need for that. Our relationship with Hornbach shows that longer, mutually beneficial and honest relationships lead to a steadily improving performance and – of course – improving sales.”

And finally, as for where the agency continues to get their ideas from, they are succinct. “Our inspiration comes from the brand and the world that surrounds it and us. This should be enough,” concludes Heffels, neatly, erm, hammering home his point.