‘As many eyes on the spot’: Moen is targeting millennial homeowners with new ads, innovations as the generation seeks their first homes
Moen, the producer of faucets, tub and shower fixtures as well as other bathroom and kitchen fixtures, wants to get the attention of millennial homeowners. The plumbing brand, founded in 1956, is looking to do so with new TV spots as well as digital and social ads.
Now that millennials are homeowners — or starting to become homeowners in some markets where they aren’t priced out — the brand is looking to cater to that audience. Moen is targeting millennials because they now make up the largest share of home buyers, accounting for 37% of the market per data from the National Association of Realtors.
The company is also aiming to appeal to millennials by introducing innovative ways to control temperature hands-free. Because of this innovation, they now offer a Smart Faucet without a handle for people who do not want one. The company’s new ads, made by Havas Chicago, highlight the brand new Moen Smart Faucet with Motion Control.
“Reach is a huge benefit of broadcast TV, so one of our goals was to get as many eyes on the spot as possible, generating awareness and intrigue,” said Brittany Neish, director of paid media at Moen. The “King Midas” campaign launched on August 8 and includes a television commercial, as well as digital and social media ads. Havas Chicago worked with production companies Smuggler, Unit + Sofa and Studio Bearnaise to produce the ad spots.
On the back of a creative platform and brand campaign launched in 2018, this version builds of the previous messaging, which was Water Designs Our Life. Who Designs for Water?. Havas Chicago considered a variety of situations, characters, and metaphors that could tell an engaging, yet relatable story about the experience
“We knew we wanted this work to continue that same ethos, while telling a deeper story around this particular product launch,” said Myra Naussbaum, Havas Chicago CCO and president. “We wanted an idea that demonstrated the impressive functionality of the faucet, while also conveying the delightful satisfaction of using it.”
It is unclear how much of its advertising budget is allocated to the campaign as Naussbaum and Neish would not share overall budget specifics. According to Pathmatics, Moen spent a little over $3.6 million so far in 2022 on marketing efforts. Neish noted that the ads will appear on social channels like Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook and Pinterest.
Moen is not the only brand targeting younger homeowners. Home insurance provider Hippo recently used a personal approach to reach millennial homeowners, as previously reported by Digiday. Allen Adamson, co-founder of Metaforce chimed in: “Targeting older millennials makes sense as they will be buying and renovating homes.”
Moen not only targets millennial homeowners with the ads, but with its products as well. Smart home technology is viewed by this audience as a status symbol, but millennials don’t want to compromise on style either in order to enjoy the latest tech. The consumer expects home brands to provide innovative and purposeful products and services, along with aesthetically pleasing designs, that will make life easier and safer at home.
“The reality is that we are moving into a world where consumers want all their products to be smart,” said Joe Anthony, founder and CEO of Hero Collective. “You have a smart car, smart phone, smart home, why not have a smart faucet?”
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