Homemakers Expo marketing campaign explores inspiration

Annually the group presents home lifestyle shows in all major economic centres in South Africa and is currently the only national home lifestyle show. Well over 200 000 people from the A and B income groups visit these shows.

Much of the groups success can be attributed to extensive regional marketing campaigns. The marketing formula is tried and tested and speaks to a targeted audience. The mix includes outdoor, print, radio and online. This year sees the launch of the group's first television campaign.

Says Managing Director Ray Abrahamse; "Our brands are well entrenched in the South African market. Our direct response magazines Homemakers Fair and homeTALK have brought thousands of home enhancement suppliers to the discerning homeowners doorsteps while our expos provide an opportunity to showcase the latest trends and ideas, providing a massive retail experience all under one roof. Our expos have come of age and we realised that the time has come to take our marketing to another level and introduce a television campaign."

The Homemakers Expo television campaign dubbed "Looking for inspiration for your home" taps into the universal appeal of humour, exploring where the inspiration for various household products came from. The three commercials "Dart", "Spa-bath" and "Hammer" take viewers back in time, setting the scene for where the inspiration for these products came from.

The concept was developed by Chemistry creatives, Sean van Rensburg and Stuart McCreadie. The commercials were directed by Bryan Little of production company Fly on the Wall. Stuart McCreadie explains. "People are always looking for new ideas for their homes and Homemakers Expo is a place where people can find their inspiration. So we asked the question: What was it that inspired people to come up with some of the things we find around today's home? Imagining, with some speculation, the inspiration behind these innovations lead us to the TV commercials." Sean van Rensburg adds, "It was a creative direction that allowed us to make TV commercials that were impactful and entertaining. Just like the show."

The inspiration theme was also pulled through to the radio and print campaigns, where humour always plays a strong part.

The television commercials are flighted on SABC 2 & 3, E-TV and Home Channel. The radio commercials will be aired on 94.7 Highveld Stereo and Khaya FM.

View television commercials:

Ad 1 (2MB)Quicktime
Ad 2 (3MB)Quicktime
Ad 3 (3MB)Quicktime

Homemakers Media Holdings this week launched a new addition to their shows, the Vaal Triangle Homemakers Expo. The show will be presented at the Emerald Casino Resort in July and was fully booked within five hours of launching. Homemakers Expo are presented in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban and now the Vaal Triangle.

The Johannesburg Homemakers Expo is on at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate from 23 to 26 February. Log onto www.homemakersexpo.co.za.