Lowe’s Vine Fix in Six
Lowe’s
Issue 29 | December 2013
Agency
BBDO New York
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer David Lubars Executive Creative Director Wil Boudreau Creative Director Dominick Baccollo Copywriter Roberto Danino Art Director Danny Adrain
Production Team
Production Company BBDO New York Director Meagan Cignoli
Other Credits
Director of Integrated Production David Rolfe Agency Producer Theresa Reyes Interactive Producer Daniel Murphy Assistant Producer Michael Gentile Account Team Francine Li Bob Estrada Tom Lamb Ricki Barger Chris Ahern Brad Walters Marisa Graven Nicole Landesman Zach Pentel
Date
May 2013
Background
Lowe's was the second largest home improvement retailer in the world. As a part of the 'Never Stop Improving' brand campaign, social media was used to help people discover new ways to improve their homes and their lives. When Vine launched their looping, six-second video app in early 2013, the opportunity for the brand was clear.
Idea
As media consumption on mobile devices became a preferred rather than a secondary activity, opportunities to produce branded content increased accordingly. However, while audiences were consuming more media than ever and opportunities to reach them were increasing, so their attention spans were decreasing.
When Vine introduced their platform for people to create and share short-form videos, most users (including brands) produced short pieces of entertainment.
The agency identified Vine as an opportunity for Lowe's to provide helpful advice. Quick, sharable tips to solve minor problems around the home.
In the past, these tips had been shared through tweets and photos on Facebook and had been massively popular. Bringing them to life in six-second videos (Fix in Six) was a natural extension of Lowe's helpfulness.
Results
At the outset, the press recognized Lowe's Fix In Six as the first branded effort to "crack the code" of Vine, using it as a strategic communications device rather than a novelty. Dozens of articles and press mentions hailed Lowe's as the first brand to bring meaning to a platform often associated with trivial content. Users have showed their enjoyment by sharing the content like crazy across Twitter, Facebook, and Vine; the campaign has generated tens of thousands of mentions across social media since launch.
Our Thoughts
This is the first time we have seen Vine used intelligently by a brand. Admittedly, there have been some pleasant six-second ads. Samsung have made a couple to show off their smart-phones and Dove have a clever little message, “To my former self”. This idea, though, is a raft of little tips, which, after a while, I’m sure people will start searching out because they are genuinely helpful. Using a hair dryer to coax off a stubborn price sticker, I didn’t know that. Or to use a rubber band when a screw has been stripped.
Whenever people have a question now, they go to Google. If Lowe’s is providing answers, good on them.