After a three-month-long agency review, Publicis Canada has won Home Depot’s Canadian advertising account.
A statement from Peg Hunter, the company’s vice-president, marketing and communications, revealed this afternoon that the agency’s Toronto office will oversee all Home Depot’s national advertising, excluding Quebec where it is served by Cossette Communication-Marketing. According to the Nielsen Company, Home Depot spent about $29.5 million on measured media in 2007.
“As part of our ongoing process of periodic supplier reviews, we have spent the last few months in an intensive creative advertising agency capabilities review,” she said. “Supported by agency search firm Select Resources International, we narrowed the candidate pool over a three month period. I am pleased to announce that we have selected Publicis Canada (Toronto) as our creative advertising agency partner.”
Publicis will be Home Depot Canada’s first English-language agency of record. Until now the home renovation retailer has run U.S. ads in Canada. Its most recent “Icon” campaign, from Dallas, Texas-based The Richards Group, featured an orange box voiced by Canadian comedian Dave Foley offering advice to do-it-yourselfers.
“Being loyal, long-standing Home Depot customers is one thing,” said Andrew Bruce, president of Publicis Canada, in a statement. “The opportunity to be a loyal, long standing Home Depot partner is all together another. For us, this is it—a brand we love and a team we can’t wait to work with. With stubborn determination we will match their passion stride-for-stride. Home Depot changed the home improvement landscape in Canada. The privilege to work alongside them as they navigate the future is the chance of a lifetime. Santa showed up early at Publicis.”
The news comes one day after the company announced the outcome of its U.S. review, with Richards Group successfully defending the US$600 million account it has held for 15 years against reported contenders such as WPP’s JWT, Interpublic’s Hill Holliday and GSD&M Idea City.
