Why Lowe’s is focused on TikTok, Instagram expansion this holiday season

“We see this campaign as part of our continued effort to introduce Lowe’s as a holiday decor destination, especially for those millennial shoppers who are looking for variety, value and convenience all in one place,” said Jen Wilson, svp enterprise brand and marketing at Lowe’s.

The social ads are designed to reach customers who are already operating in those spaces based on platform-inspired trends across popular formats and audio on video lead social platforms, primarily for Instagram and TikTok. Through these videos and photography, Lowe’s aims to showcase all that shoppers can find at Lowe’s, according to Wilson.

While previous campaigns from Lowe’s focused on uniting people after being separated during the pandemic and encouraging them to “Make More Holidays”, this campaign postures the company as a place of convenience, value, and variety, making it a one-stop shop for holiday gifts, decor, and deals. “Our goal is really to show consumers that Lowe’s is a top destination for holiday shopping and showcase our unexpected holiday décor and gifts that Lowe’s actually has,” said Wilson.

It is unclear how much of Lowe’s advertising budget is allocated to this campaign as Wilson declined to share budget specifics. According to Pathmatics data, the brand spent a little over $99 million so far on advertising in 2022, which is higher than $53 million the brand spent in 2021.

In an era in which everything is digital and virtual, it is likely that customers are seeking more tactile experiences with brands. The holiday season will bring an influx of OOH and outdoor advertising, as consumers begin to return to in-person shopping and travel. Additionally, TikTok’s new video ad offerings are being utilized by brands as part of their marketing strategies ahead of this year’s holiday shopping season. 

“These are the kinds of innovative approaches to compensation for third-party data and signal losses that we can expect from more forward-leaning marketers, and the good news is that the first-party relationships they gain can be activated for retargeting and growth on performance media channels like the walled gardens,” said Margo Kahnrose, CMO of the omnichannel platform Skai.