The HON Company Launches National Print and Radio Advertising Campaign
Powerful Ads Use Strong Imagery, and a Dose of Humor, to Tout the Benefits of HON’s Newest Products
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Betsy Hoye, Advertising & Public Relations Manager, 563.272.5690, HoyeB@honcompany.com
Jennifer Allanson or Kristi Stolarski, Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations, 216.696.0229, jallanson@robertfalls.com or kstolarski@robertfalls.com
Muscatine, IA – September 19, 2007 – The HON Company, one of the nation’s largest designers and manufacturers of office furniture, will launch a powerful new advertising campaign this Fall. Created by Detroit agency Campbell-Ewald, the print and radio ads feature powerful imagery, with a dose of humor, to tout the benefits of HON’s newest products in national consumer and business-to-business publications, as well as syndicated, business-oriented radio programming. The campaign will begin in late September and run through late November.
“Our new campaign marks one of the most aggressive approaches HON has ever taken – not only in terms of the campaign’s creativity, but also in the fact that we’re really targeting the end-user -- consumers,” said Don Mead, HON’s vice president of marketing. “We no longer want HON to be the industry’s best-kept secret, and our goal is to educate consumers on the durability, design, flexibility and value of HON’s full line of office furniture.”
Media outlets featuring the print campaign will include national business publications such as Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, Inc., and My Business; and national business-to-business publications such as Buildings and Today’s Facility Manager. The radio campaign will be featured on such recognized programs as Paul Harvey, The Wall Street Journal Report, Dow Jones Money Report and The Osgood Files.
One of the goals of the new campaign is to give the HON brand a personality which would resonate well with consumers – showing that HON is friendly, approachable, professional and smart. To accomplish this, Campbell-Ewald created a number of humorous radio spots which have HON products speaking to the audience in a first-person narrative.
Following in a similar vein, The HON Company’s new print ads feature powerful photography of HON products situated in “atypical” environments. For example, a HON desk and hutch are shown among beautiful statues in the center of an elegant art museum, with the headline, “Yes, it’s that beautiful.” In another ad, a HON workstation and chairs are featured in the middle of a yoga studio, surrounded by individuals in extremely flexible poses. The headline in this ad reads, “Yes, it’s that flexible.”
“We feel the print ads are really going to break through the clutter and make readers stop,” added Mead. “The visuals are so strong and intuitive that they practically require no additional copy – the message is so easily understood.”
About The HON Company
The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, storage, panel systems, tables and desks. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States, and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. The HON Company is an operating company of HNI Corporation (formerly HON INDUSTRIES). For more information, visit www.HON.com or www.HONthinksgreen.com.
About Campbell-Ewald
Campbell-Ewald is the nation’s sixth largest advertising and marketing communications agency network, with more than 1,300 employees and offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Washington, D.C. A part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG), Campbell-Ewald partners with a score of national brands, including HON Office Furniture, ACDelco, Alltel, Chevrolet, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Michelin, OnStar, the United States Navy and the United States Postal Service. For more information on Campbell-Ewald, visit www.campbell-ewald.com.
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