Canadian Tire recently purchased a four-bedroom, two-bathroom fixer-upper in Toronto, but neighbours will be relieved to know that the know-it-all Canadian Tire Guy isn’t moving in next door.
As part of its new “House of Innovation” marketing program, the retailer has purchased a Toronto home that will serve as the centrepiece for a series of online videos demonstrating Canadian Tire’s vast array of products – the average store has 90,000 SKUs – being used in real world situations.
The seasonally relevant videos will demonstrate Canadian Tire products being used to make the home more energy-efficient, improve the look of the lawn/garden and everyday repairs and replacements.
Once Canadian Tire has finished renovating the home it will be sold, with all proceeds being donated to Jumpstart – its national charity that works to help financially disadvantaged kids participate in organized sports.
Developed by agency of record Taxi, the HouseOfInnovation.ca site launched yesterday with 20 videos demonstrating everything from a power washer to fertilizer and a cordless nail gun. The home page also features an “anthem” video that provides an overview of the program. Additional videos will be added on a weekly basis.
“The Bring it On campaign we launched in March is all about understanding Canadians best,” said Sara Heller, strategic marketing manager for Canadian Tire in Toronto, “and prepares them best for Canadian life, and this is the next step within that campaign. What better way to prepare Canadians than with hundreds of different products?”
Visitors to HouseOfInnovation.ca can search for videos related to specific parts of the house, while a dropdown menu enables them to specify product categories such as automotive (the retailer also purchased a minivan), indoor tools and outdoor living.
The site is being promoted with a four-page insert in Canadian Tire’s weekly flyer – which is distributed to 11.5 million Canadians – as well as through a banner ad campaign, homepage takeovers on sites including YouTube, and a Facebook contest called “Canada’s Biggest Housewarming Party. Canadian Tire currently has more than 137,000 followers on the social media site.”
