Lowe's, the hardware chain for do-it-yourselfers, is relying on others to come up with its latest ad.
Monitoring conversations on Twitter during the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament in late March, Lowe's discovered that quite a few fans related to ads showing home projects going south. One ad in particular resonated. The spot, from ad agency BBDO, showed a guy installing tiles in his bathroom, then watching them fall, one by one.
For a few viewers, the ad illustrated exactly how they felt. Not about their DIY projects, but about their brackets:
@Evan_Thurman We feel you. Glad we could help cheer you up. #MarchMadness http://t.co/WDzc2ScZQh— Lowe's (@Lowes) March 29, 2014
Glad you like them @SeeSenyour. How's your bracket doing? Ours isn't doing too hot! #MarchMadness http://t.co/LcT0tyW9HB— Lowe's (@Lowes) March 29, 2014
Impressed with the idea, Lowe's has altered the bathroom tiles spot to include mention of viewers' crumbling brackets:
The ad is scheduled to air Saturday.
[seealso slug="twitter-marketing-chart"]
Tweets have prompted similar changes to ads in the past. In January, Olympic skier Heidi Kloser fell on the slopes, fracturing and tearing ligaments in her leg. Liberty Mutual, her sponsor, saw a tweet from ex-ad exec Alex Bogusky suggesting the company shoot a new ad incorporating the accident.