BEHR Paint Company and The Home Depot Marketing Chiefs Talk Color of the Year Campaign

BEHR Paint Company and The Home Depot marketing chiefs discuss the evolution of their Color of the Year campaign, highlighting the selection process for the 2024 color, Cracked Pepper, and the strategic partnership between the two companies. The annual Color of the Year selection is based on consumer research, lifestyle trends, and input from design experts, and has expanded into a comprehensive brand campaign involving retail media marketing with The Home Depot, social media initiatives, and experiential components. This multi-faceted approach has led to a notable increase in sales. Jodi Allen, Global CMO of BEHR Paint Company, explains that Cracked Pepper was chosen for its versatility, appealing to DIYers, designers, and professionals for both interior and exterior applications, including walls, cabinets, and furniture. The company focuses on creating an immersive experience for the launch, exemplified by painting exterior buildings in a Cracked Pepper-like color for the 2024 announcement in Napa. BEHR collaborates closely with The Home Depot, integrating color and décor trends to assist consumers in replicating desired home aesthetics. Molly Battin, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at The Home Depot, emphasizes the long-standing 45-year partnership and how their teams leverage insights into The Home Depot customer to select a color palette that resonates with their audience. The partnership has evolved over the years, with a continuous focus on selecting usable colors that align with current lifestyle trends. Beyond the color selection, the campaign now heavily emphasizes creating an immersive experience, including vignettes showcasing how Cracked Pepper integrates with The Home Depot's decor items. A significant consumer activation component involves a sweepstakes on Instagram, offering five winners $10,000 to transform their spaces with Cracked Pepper, utilizing platforms like Instagram and TikTok for inspiration and engagement. The Home Depot's retail media network plays a crucial role in this partnership. Battin explains that they utilize first-party data to understand their audience's project stages, allowing them to deliver targeted messages to BEHR's customers, whether they are seeking inspiration, in the midst of a project, or nearing completion. This data-driven approach extends to on-homedepot.com and off-channel sites such as Google and Pinterest, enhancing engagement. The retail media network is a significant growth driver for The Home Depot, facilitating partnerships with vendors like BEHR by leveraging customer insights to provide relevant solutions. The decision to select a dark shade like Cracked Pepper was informed by extensive consumer research. A survey of over a thousand consumers revealed high interest in darker tones, with 57% believing a darker wall color contributes to a designer aesthetic and an elevated feel. Millennials, identified as a strategic audience, expressed that a black tone like Cracked Pepper instantly modernizes a home. This is further supported by broader fashion and lifestyle trends. Key trends in the home improvement sector include the growing influence of millennials, who account for 52% of homeownership today, and Gen Z, who are rapidly entering the housing market. Both companies aim to connect authentically with these younger generations by being present where they seek inspiration, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Initiatives like BEHR’s “To DIY For” TikTok campaign are designed to build confidence in DIY projects for younger consumers. The Home Depot also focuses on the intersection of content and commerce, using platforms to provide tools and confidence for project initiation and completion. Furthermore, The Home Depot launched a campaign aimed at female doers to foster inclusivity and empowerment in home improvement, acknowledging that women may not always feel welcome in these retail environments. Marketing strategies for these digital-native generations involve innovative media platforms, shoppable ads, and regionalized messaging to ensure authenticity and relevance, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective. #BEHRPaint #TheHomeDepot #ColorOfTheYear #CrackedPepper #HomeImprovement #RetailMedia #MarketingStrategy #ConsumerTrends #DIY #SocialMediaMarketing #BEHRPaint #TheHomeDepot #ColorOfTheYear #CrackedPepper #HomeImprovement #RetailMedia #MarketingStrategy #ConsumerTrends #DIY #SocialMediaMarketing