Lifeproof

Launching a Private Label Product at The Home Depot

What We Did

  • Branding
  • Packaging
  • Visual Merchandising
  • Photography
  • Video
  • Email Marketing

The ultimate opportunity for many manufacturers is the chance to supply products for one of The Home Depot’s private brands. It’s an intense process that culminates in a retail test period. During this time, manufacturers invest heavily to prove their product is worthy of the brand and easy to sell. When The Home Depot sought a partner to supply carpet cushion for its Lifeproof brand of flooring, their supplier was granted a six-month test period in select stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Their challenge was threefold. After winning the support of the merchants, the makers of Lifeproof Carpet Cushion needed to quickly demonstrate their ability to adopt the brand while also generating demand for the product and supporting different audiences, including consumers, sales associates and professional installers.

As the only true waterproof carpet cushion on the market, Lifeproof is a solid product — but not everyone knows it. The makers needed not only a branding and marketing team to get the word out, but also a team that understands the environment, recognizes the high stakes and can meet the aggressive pace of the project. That team was Porchlight.

The Solution

To support the in-store and online shopping experience, we quickly got to work defining key messages and brand assets, such as custom illustration. Once the core brand assets were developed and approved, we turned our attention to in-store merchandising, developing sample boards, chain card sets, header cards and aisle flags. 

Informative Videos

If you’ve ever been to The Home Depot, then you know that the men and women in orange aprons know the products back to front. In order for Lifeproof’s test period to be successful, we needed the sales associates to become experts on the carpet cushion. The best way to accomplish this? Through video.

We put our end-to-end video production skills to work starting with storyboarding and scriptwriting. We keep it collaborative here at Porchlight, our designers and copywriters working closely together to develop the best creative. 

From close-up renderings of Lifeproof’s protective layers to a split-screen spill test, factory footage and walking slow-mos, the video strikes the right balance between technical and creative. Just what the associates need to get not only themselves pumped up, but also customers, too.In addition, we captured high-quality photography demonstrating the product in use and highlighting its features. These visual assets served multiple channels, including ecommerce, in-store sample and demo kits, and email marketing.

Sample Boards

The Home Depot knows that most people don’t think about carpet pad; they just think about carpet. To remind customers that padding is just as important, carpet pad sample boards are placed in the carpet aisle front and center. 

Visitors can grab a sample board, place it on the floor and lay a carpet sample over it. This lets them compare comfort levels. While all of the suppliers must follow the same brand standards for packaging, you can get creative with the sample board itself. In order to make Lifeproof stand out, we split the front to include an embossed logo and the cushion’s grooved air channels for a must-touch feel. A critical factor for Lifeproof Carpet Cushion involved product awareness, education and demonstration. Most consumers aren’t aware that choices exist, much less that there are significant advantages between products. To solve this challenge, we produced a series of videos aimed at each of our target audiences: consumers, professional installers and sales associates.

The Results

  • Lifeproof Carpet Cushion is currently being tested in 100 stores in the U.S. and 150 stores in Canada. 
  • The six-month test period has been extended and is ongoing. 

Foundation

Brands need a firm foundation to be successful in the market. They need solid footing to rally engagement, both internally and externally. Strong foundations are built – and rebuilt – through careful evaluation and response to the different factors that impact success, including the market, the offering and the audience.


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Construction

There’s a big difference between brands built well, and those built in a hurry. In this way, brand construction is like the experience of the “Three Little Pigs.” Some methods and materials hold up better than others. Great brands are built with carefully constructed positioning, identity and messaging, with brand standards operating as an owner’s manual.


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