ANN ARBOR, MI -- This week at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the world’s largest kitchen and bath industry tradeshow, KraftMaid® Cabinetry will launch its biggest and most aggressive integrated marketing campaign to date. The campaign, titled “Silhouettes,” builds on the tagline It Becomes You™ and creatively captures the essence of personal design and aesthetics to inspire homeowners to realize their individual style. Silhouettes will be executed across all media channels: print, TV, online, social media, in-store materials, homeowner engagement and KBIS booth activity and design. The campaign launch represents industry leadership efforts by KraftMaid Cabinetry to revitalize the category and re--?attract homeowners to home improvement.

A recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University projected annual growth in home improvement spending by about 6.5 percent in the third quarter of 20111. Recognizing that homeowners who placed home sales, home builds and remodeling projects on hold until the economy improved are now ready to reengage, KraftMaid is introducing a multi-faceted, multi-channeled campaign to ignite their desires and passions—and to help them dream again.

Bold Campaign Showcases Heart of the Home

“We wanted to inspire homeowners and help them see themselves and their personalities coming through their kitchen cabinetry designs and their homes,” says Mark Ayers, vice president of marketing for KraftMaid Cabinetry. “This campaign illustrates how bringing KraftMaid products and resources to life can bring homeowners closer to their dreams while making the remodeling process less intimidating.”

The Silhouettes campaign uses a combination of bold colors, multilayered imagery and elegant human silhouettes juxtaposed against striking cabinetry designs from KraftMaid’s newest collections.

Bringing the concept to life via television, a woman’s silhouette becomes a living, breathing window through which KraftMaid product is introduced to viewers. Her profile sweeps across the screen, revealing aspects of a kitchen design that grow to become uniquely her. The spots convey the brand’s signature style and design, while bringing to life the personalization possibilities of its cabinetry. The spots began airing the week of April 18 on the HGTV network, supplemented by in--?store materials available at Lowe’s, The Home Depot and independent KraftMaid dealers. Augmenting the TV campaign, Silhouette print ads also went live via a tactile texture and layer experience for readers across home, design, lifestyle and special interest magazines. Online display advertising on HGTV.com is also running.

KraftMaid partnered with Minneapolis agency OLSON to develop the campaign. The company challenged the creative team to connect homeowners to the brand and the beauty of its product, while breaking ranks from existing ad campaigns within the cabinetry category. “Homeowners are remodeling again and they want and need to be inspired to do so,” says Bob Brihn, group creative director at OLSON. “We wanted them to view kitchens and cabinetry in a way they never have [and] the use of a silhouette as a conduit was key to putting themselves in the ad experience and helping them dance through their own gorgeous KraftMaid kitchens.”

Use of Social Platforms Extend Life of Campaign

Because inspiration can strike anytime and any place, KraftMaid also introduced several innovative and practical new design tools and industry--?leading features to simplify the design process for both homeowners and design professionals. “Beyond the launch of the Silhouettes campaign, we wanted to offer multiple ways and touch points for customers to interact with the brand and utilize it as a resource,” says Theresa Junkunc, director of brand marketing for KraftMaid. “Whether or not you’re a homeowner, our tools allow users to dream, exercise and learn about personal style and design expression.”

The first of several new tools from the brand is KraftMyStyle™, a free iPhone® app to help homeowners capture and share their ideas with their designer, family and friends. This application is a practical resource for anyone on the go and provides iPhone and iPod Touch® users with the ability to snap images and create photo collages of items that inspire them, like colors, unique spaces, fabrics and art.

The next design tool, the Inspiration Board on KraftMaid.com, is a rich collage of words and images, including the newest kitchen and bath selection from KraftMaid Cabinetry. Users of the tool gather colors, textures, illustrations, photos, and phrases found on the web or in their personal digital archives that speak to them and evoke the mood and feeling they envision in their kitchens. This collage can be saved, shared, printed and updated to reflect their personal vision, serving as a conduit between homeowners and their designer as they begin the design process together.

Finally, KraftMaid has extended its style and design expertise to a new blog. The KraftMaid By Design™ blog offers homeowners an outlet to turn to for their design needs and questions. With regularly updated content, the site encourages users to return time and time again to interact with the brand, posting questions and engaging in conversations with leading design professionals. Industry experts from around the country will serve as guest bloggers and provide exclusive insight on the latest trends, inspiring homeowners and igniting creativity

About KraftMaid

KraftMaid leads the semi-custom cabinetry industry with innovative product design, a robust collection of more than 100 trend-on door styles and more than 45 furniture-quality finishes. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and manufactured by Masco Cabinetry, KraftMaid brand cabinetry is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

SOURCE: KraftMaid Cabinetry