Ace Hardware is joining the ranks of other top brands, including Burger King and Procter & Gamble, in the latest brand integration effort on The Apprentice. Only this time, there’s no promotion or new product launch attached to the show. Instead, the Oak Brook, IL-based hardware store chain, which will be featured April 10, is leveraging its first-ever Apprentice appearance with a national charitable campaign.
During the episode, teams must renovate a room in a Boys & Girls Club in Queens, NY, and secure enough funds to buy additional furniture and equipment for each space. Following the show, Ace Hardware will assign consumers a task of their own with a call to action to nominate non-profit organizations in need of repair.
Under the campaign, Ace Hardware will renovate 10 non-profit organizations (think community centers, health clinics and pets shelters) around the country this year. The company has allocated $100,000 toward the effort, in addition to free labor. Consumers can submit their nominations following Monday’s show online at AceHardware.com with a 100-word essay explaining the need for the repairs.
A 30-second TV spot featuring Apprentice alum Bill Rancic (the show’s season one winner) will air during the show driving viewers to the Web site.
“This is our way to give back to the community above and beyond the episode,” Ace Hardware spokesperson Paula Erickson said.
The campaign is part of the company’s ongoing outreach program, New Faces for Helpful Places. The program, which launched in 2004, gives places in a need a facelift with hardware supplies, painting, plumbing and renovation work.
Ace Hardware is the first brand associated with the NBC hit to stray from standard task sponsorships involving marketing campaigns and product sales, and focus on a cause marketing initiative. The company teamed with the TV show as a way to reach younger consumers and boost its advertising mix, Erickson said.
“We were looking to do different things with advertising and marketing beyond running traditional commercials,” she said. “So, when we had the opportunity to partner with The Apprentice, it seemed to make a lot of sense.”
For Ace, the brand integration is a home run, Rancic said. The campaign carries a “feel good” association for the brand and its cause.
“It’s more and more difficult to get through to your audience with all of the clutter,” Rancic told PROMO Xtra this week. “This is a great way for Ace to get [its] message out.”
“Ace [is] really the first to do this,” he added. “I’m sure a lot of companies will follow suit and try to take the initiative in what they did—giving back.”
Rancic will play a pivotal role in Ace’s campaign and other community outreach efforts. The company named Rancic its national spokesperson for a number of outreach initiatives.
In the weeks leading up to the Ace episode, Rancic embarked on the Ace for a Helpful Place tour, visiting high schools nationwide to give students advice on how to map out a successful future. Ace Hardware stores in cities Rancic visits will donate $5,000 for school improvements and career development. Rancic’s last high school visit will be in Gilbert, AZ, on May 5.
Online materials, in-store signage, e-mail blasts and direct marketing support. Ace Hardware is handling portions in-house with Weber Shandwick, Chicago.
The Apprentice airs at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC.
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