Mitre 10 repositions itself as ‘The Other Hardware Store’ in bold new campaign via Dig
Mitre 10 has fired off a reminder that there’s an alternative place to shop for your hardware needs, repositioning the brand as ‘The Other Hardware Store’ in a new campaign via Dig.
With over 350 stores, many family-owned and run for generations, Mitre 10 is the second largest hardware network in Australia. However many people interested in DIY don’t always think of Mitre 10 when they think of hardware.
Says Karen Fahey, general manager of marketing, Mitre 10: “The data showed that more than 90% of Australians are on autopilot on where they shop for their DIY needs, and while Mitre 10 is known for service and quality of range amongst existing customers, we are often not considered in the moment of hardware store choice by people not familiar with Mitre 10. They’re missing out on the benefits of the knowledge that sits within our network, we can give them solutions to their home improvement challenges on their first trip.”
‘The Other Hardware Store’ is the new creative campaign launched by Mitre 10, developed by creative agency Dig who were appointed as lead agency for the national hardware brand in late 2021.
Adds Fahey: “It’s a cheeky reminder that there is an ‘other’ choice for hardware in Australia while also telling the Mitre 10 brand story of service and expertise, and the unique connection our stores have to their local community.
“We are different, and proud of it. This is an invitation to learn more about the unique experience you get with Mitre 10. Because for us, the grass isn’t just greener on the other side…it’s blue.”
Says Peter Cerny, CCO at Dig: “This idea challenges the category by embracing Australians love of the underdog. The campaign cleverly plays-off the salience of the bigger brand, while not poking at it.”
Says David Joubert, national ECD, Dig: “We knew that injecting humour and entertainment was a real opportunity for Mitre 10 to standout in a category that tends to be bland and impersonal.”
The campaign launched on Sunday night with 4 x 15 second entertaining TVCs – which will be supported through OOH, digital, social, experiential, radio and in-store. All of which will showcase the brand’s refreshed brand identity.
Client: Mitre 10
GM of Marketing: Karen Fahey
Trade Marketing Manager: Sarah Hewson
Campaign Manager: Adrian Lefebour
Creative Agency: Dig
CEO: Paul Rhodes
CCO: Peter Cerny
National ECD: David Joubert
Senior Art Director: Anna Paine
Senior Copywriter: Owen Bryson
Design Director: Paula Cardona
Executive Planning Director: Lucielle Vardy
Senior Agency Producer: Naomi Neinaber (freelance)
GAD: Amanda Isidro
Account Executive: Laura Van Rens
Production Company: Airbag
Director: Ariel Martin
Executive Producer: Martin Box
Managing Partner: Adrian Bosich
Producer: Kat Latour
DOP: Aaron McLisky
Photographer: Stuart Crossett
Sound: Rumble
Media: Starcom
62 Comments
I’m sorry but this is bad strategy and bad advertising. Saying that the category is impersonal when Bunnings literally has real staff (which makes them feel way more personal than this) is eye opening. This also has terrible branding – it will be misattributed through the roof – and is a huge mistake with their limited budget. But the biggest crime? It gives me ZERO reasons to choose Mitre10 over Bunnings. ie: the WHY I should choose Mitre10. Which is literally the job of advertising. Mitre10 don’t need awareness, they need to drive behavioural change… how does this do that? By reminding me they exist? Please. Fails all round.
But why do you feel the need to be such a condescending prat? What part of you feels justified in being such a negative lemon. It’s just ads for a local brand made by an indy agency.
Did someone at this agency torch your house, punch your mum, or kill your dog? Because I simply can’t fathom many other reasons as to why you would feel justified in writing such mean, unwarranted shit.
Nah, they’ve got a point though… Nothing in here tells me why I should choose Mitre 10 over Bunnings (which is well loved). Remember Avis “We’re number 2”? There’s a lesson in that for everyone. Also, being an Indy Agency doesn’t let you off the hook… I bet they still billed them through the eyeballs, so they should be held accountable.
‘Belgium. The Other Cheese Country’.
Worked for Belgium.
The Other Hardware Store could work for Mitre 10.
Ballsy.
Another win for Ariel.
Great spots.
Great job! Funny, simple, product relevant. What fun.
Self deprecating, honest and legit funny.
If full frontal nudity doesn’t do it, what would? Nice one Dig.
Has been done to death, did you think no one would notice?
Great little scripts, done well
these ads
95 is calling it wants its cheap lighting and photos back……..
nice one O+A
Nice job, Dave and team.
They really do not change my thinking about Mitre 10 at all. Would be easy to use the nude couple for anything, and say ‘we’ve got you covered’
It’s nothing more than a visual to enable a cheap, meaningless pun really.
And I’m really not sure about ‘the other Hardware store’ – If it was a strategic stroke of genius like Avis, we try harder maybe. But there’s none of that.
That said, no worse than a lot of advertising, but I’d say, nothing great.
Couldn’t disagree more.
They sell the same stuff at the same prices.
If I need a spade, I’ll google the nearest Bunnings, if thats too far away/doesnt have the spade I want, I’ll google the next one that comes into my mind – which, if Ive seen these ads, might well be Mire 10
So much better than anything mitre 10 has done in years. No wonder they changed agencies
The classic Avis work offered a reason for using the no. 2 – because they have to try harder. That’s powerful. I don’t see this campaign nailing a clear benefit or point of difference. Mitre 10: who are you, why should I care?
I liked these cheap and cheerful – and kinda funny. However, I agree – a strategy thats taking on the big green monster needs to give the person a reason to come to Mitre 10 – these don’t (and the video ads are not branded – which doesn’t help.)
Exactly, “They sell the same stuff at the same price”, No one is looking beyond Bunnings as they’re everywhere and have everything anyone needs at a low price. Mitre 10 does offer something valuably different to Bunnings, it’s just this campaign fails spectacularly to demonstrate it.
These are great. Well done guys
These are great. Punters will appreciate the humour and truth in the positioning. They’ll get great cut through, especially those pixels when he grabs the overalls.
What does Mitre 10 offer thats valuably different?
Noth-ing
It’s not about being conceptually different or distinctive, it’s about being top of mind and available.
Could these ads have been more memorable – maybe, do they need to be based on their point of difference to do so, not at all.
—
When you look at the data, what works in branding is surprisingly simple – making the brand easy to buy – by maximising it’s physically availability and creating an attractive and memorable set of distinctive brand assets; sensory and semantic cues such as colours, packaging, logo, design, taglines and celebrity endorsements that make the brand easy to like, memorise and recall.
BS
The naked pixellation will cut through but no one will remember who the ad is for or care.
The sentiment of what @But Why is right I’m sorry to say.
There is nothing about these ads that will make me choose Mitre 10 over Bunnings.
Now I know the task is not easy, its a massive task. But you have to find a point of difference. This falls on the client too.
Those that say it’s about being top of mind is BS. If anything it has the opposite affect – it just reminds me of why I should go to Bunnings this weekend. Snag myself a snag while I’m at it.
So much bitterness in these comments. U K huns?
They’ve got to own something, and these ads make pretty clear they’re owning customer service. With ads that are interesting enough to make us all click on this article, watch, and even comment.
I DIG em. Great to see some entertainment on the telly. Those Bunning ads are shit boring and have no idea. At least I can see one in here. Brave strategy always wins when it’s brought to life well. Well written, great talent and direction. Noice. A job well done by all. Now… I’m off to ‘the other hardware store’ to plaster up and paint over all the boring naysayers. Now get back to work.
So you’re telling me this isn’t an ad for my brand?
Calling yourself “the other hardware store”, but never mentioning your name once in the ads? Why not voice it over the endframe? There are other “other hardware stores” too, with similar colours to Mitre 10, so there’s a real risk of forgetting the brand. Which kinda makes everything else redundant.
Sentiments echoed. Imagine Optus calling itself the other telco. Or IGA the other supermarket. Where’s the why? Awareness of the brand will no doubt go up with media spend, but figures regarding consideration, and more importantly sales, probably won’t.
No ad can make someone choose Mitre 10 over Bunnings. About the only thing that does is location. And hoping the small Mitre 10 near you has one of something you need to save a trip to Bunnings.
Maybe Im missing something that everyone else is seeing, but these ads aren’t competing with Bunnings, nor are they trying to take business away from Bunnings. Isn’t that the strategy in “the other hardware store”. They are aiming for #2. They can never be Bunnings – a dinky little Mitre 10 (hell, even the biggest Mitre 10’s) can’t compete with the vastness of an average Bunnings Warehouse. I’m seeing “we’re #2 when there’s no #1”. At least that’s my take out, and it’s a strong space to own when #1 is never going to happen. It’s reminding us they are always the other option and that we don’t have to mindlessly drive to a further-away Bunnings if we don’t have to.
Yes. You are missing something.
Consistently great director and top bloke.
Well done.
Fully agree. But, does it come across strongly enough? The creative kind of falls into generic gag territory. Could have embraced ‘the other’ aspect harder, with humour and humility. Hence the success of the old Budget campaign. The copy headlines could have been heaps more supportive of this strategy, and be funnier.
They have scrapped their distinctive brand assets built up over many years with many millions of dollars of support.
This is a huge mistake. Branding will be awful.
They should have evolved not changed it completely.
Mitre 10 should use the same local people strategy as IGA FYI.
these ads just aren’t very funny…
Great that the Photo Studies College had a practice making an Ad.
are the real bummer.
I think these spots are funny, but I echo the issues with branding. “The other hardware store” adds no value whatsoever. Even if they just reinforced the longstanding tagline and made a clear statement that “Mitre 10 is more helpful” it would work harder.
had no idea what Mitre 10 was tbh, but kind of want to visit one now. funny that so many people are divisive on this, what’s the problem mates? it’s getting noticed and remembered and gave me a bit of a smile. could’ve done worse, in fact many of us do ha! it’s 2022, let’s see more bravery baby
I think they convey the differences really well. The Mitre 10s where I live crap all over Bunnings. The staff know what they’re talking about and they won’t let you buy something useless for the sake of it. The other hardware store works for me, cuts out home hardware and positions Mitre 10 as a serious challenger brand – which, thanks to Bunnings, it is.
You need to put a rocket up your creative bosses on this.
I think we’re safe. Put in your book Pete.
i feel like i should leave an unnecessary comment because apparently everyone else in the industry felt like they had to
I don’t get the comments about these ‘not giving a good reason to choose mitre 10’. The entire premise of each spot is they’ve got people who actually help you tackle whatever the challenge is at hand. Anyone who’s ever been to Bunnings knows just finding someone to answer a question is a job within itself and as a non-handy person it shits me to tears. These are fun and I buy it.
Reminds punters there’s an alternative to Bunnings in a brutally self-deprecating, memorable way, so next time there’s a buying occasion, they will no longer just think of Bunnings—they’ll think of the other hardware store too, increasing the likelihood of them going there. Job done. To all the haters: People DGAF about your old-fashioned USPs, anymore (probably never did). Brilliant work. Wish I made it.
Client needs to offer a clear point of difference and not leave it to nude gags to get noticed.
people in these comments: “there’s no branding, how will people know this is Mitre 10”
big fucking mitre 1o logo after 12 seconds: “hold my beer”
‘Old fashioned USPs’ haha.
“People DGAF about your Sony Balls ‘Colour Like No Other’, you ad dinosaur. They just need to remember there’s an alternative to Samsung”. Fuck me.
Middle aged ad dads get so passionate about their hardware store brand strategies.
These are really good, and very funny.
Is on the money.
Pointing out the flaws of a commercial or strategy isn’t hate, it’s simply criticism.
Amateurish strategy, juvenile scripts & execution, zero branding. A complete waste of money.
Time to move on gang.
First – let’s see if this works. But secondly, a jingoistic jingle seems to be ‘amazing advertising’ in this country. Or it just works. I really hope the Bunnings jingle writer is still getting paid for his work. Sadly, I don’t think so. Mitre 10 outta 10 every time!
I like these ads, funny and a simple reminder that there is a alternative Hware store. I usually go to Bunnings because it is near to me, but might try Mitre 10 next hardware run. Good job.
Dumb dick ads for dumb blokes. Perfect for Australia in 2022.
My 7 year old could have made this. Could literally be an ad for anything.
Nice to see the majority of the comments have the name Karen attached to them
I love the ads and totally understand what Mitre 10 are trying to achieve IE: better bottom line. However, the Marketing angle in these ads doesn’t match the reality of a visit to their stores. They’re not helpful. Staff are poorly trained and I generally leave frustrated and peeved off with myself for not going to Bunnings in the first place… Did the Agency actually do any undercover work by visiting several Mitre 10’s and seeing firsthand how a customer is treated? I’ve never found the staff to be rude or impolite, just poorly trained in customer service, which makes them unhelpful…