True Value hammers on targeted marketing
True Value Company continues to spread the word about how it intends to spread the word in 2018. The co-op is engaged in a marketing shift toward more local and more targeted advertising, as opposed to mass-market television commercials.
The Chicago-based co-op first floated the emphasis on targeted, digital approach to marketing during the co-op’s Chicago Fall Reunion in September. During the event, Senior VP of Marketing David Elliott described broadsheets, paid search, social media, e-mail, online advertising, point-of-purchase displays, direct mail and mobile push as marketing vehicles on the most-favored list.
This week, president and CEO John Hartmann took to social media to expound on the co-op’s new approach. In an article posted to Linkedin, the co-op’s Hartmann described a cultural shift across society that demands a marketing shift. More people are canceling their cable TV packages, and more people are engaging with their smart phones, he wrote.
“This is why, in 2018, we are shifting to a more targeted approach, one that focuses on reaching specific individuals within a given demographic, and tailoring the message to fit a particular community,” he wrote. “Rather than pump money into a nationwide TV advertising campaign we want to direct those funds to more strategic, local, digital ads on platforms like Hulu, YouTube TV and, of course, Google.”
Hartmann added that one result of the new approach is the elimination of a monthly ad fee paid by retailers. He also wrote that the co-op’s True Value Rewards program is being enhanced to provide coupons and deals for local stores.
The approach to marketing represents a major shift for the co-op that stands in contrast to its direction in 2015. Back then, it rolled out a series of television spots showcasing intimate life moments, shared between friends and family and centered around home improvement.
In Hartmann’s article this week, “Adjusting to the new reality of advertising,” he concluded on a positive note: “I have no doubt that in 2018 alone, we will begin to see the results of this forward thinking, proactive approach to marketing.”