High-profile events (think the Daytona 500, big music festivals, or the Olympics) are obvious opportunities for sponsorship engagement. But, perhaps less obviously, we think brand engagement at a local level can be just as valuable, if not more so.
Case in point: recently, we headed to our local Home Depot to pick up our spring yard work supplies and found a branded photo station, a Home Depot mascot (his name was Homer), and customers and employees dancing together to a live DJ in the sunny parking lot.
Watch a short video of the Home Depot experience here: http://youtu.be/s0DpLaSHisw
Home Depot has ties to NASCAR, ESPN, and, until recently, the USOC and the Olympic games, along with a slew of national sports arenas. National exposure is important, but Home Depot corporate — or maybe just the local store manager — understands that interacting with customers on a more local level is valuable, too. It might not have been a NASCAR event, but around here the first warm spring day is reason enough to celebrate and engage with customers. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, and customers no doubt left their shopping experience that day with a better outlook on the Home Depot brand.
It’s great to have a presence at big-ticket events, but this kind of community engagement can do wonders for the public’s perception of a brand. Our hats are off, Home Depot.