• by Tanya Gazdik , October 31, 2010

Aaron's, Inc. is launching its first nationally integrated campaign starring Nashville recording artist Brittini Black.

The effort includes TV, radio, web, out-of-home and print and will run through December 2011. This is the first time in the Atlanta-based rental company has created a campaign on this scale, says Mark Rudnick, Aaron's vice president of marketing.

This is the largest broadcast campaign ever for Aaron's and is the first time the company has carried a national theme across multiple platforms including TV, radio, Web, print and out-of-home advertising.

Black sings three musical styles of the theme song: Country/Pop, Latin/Spanish and R&B, which correspond with its target demographics -- suburban, urban and Spanish speaking markets.

Aaron's was introduced to Black last year and immediately recognized her potential, Rudnick tells Marketing Daily. "While we have used athlete celebrities in our campaigns in the past -- including Terry Bradshaw, Warrick Dunn and NASCAR drivers Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann -- the company in recent years has used COO Ken Butler as the main spokesperson," Rudnick says. "However, when we met Brittini, we knew we had a unique opportunity in partnering with her, which is why we went with a music video approach. The ads not only communicate Brittini's talent and energy, but engage the audience in a fun and exciting new way."

The country/pop spot launches first, on Oct. 30 on ESPN, followed by the other two styles the week of Nov. 1. For the 2010 Q4 media buy, the country/pop version is running across the board, the R&B version will rotate and the Spanish version will run on Univision. The 2011 buy is not yet complete, but will include both national and hundreds of local markets.

Radio spots, print and out-of-home ads will highlight Aaron's customer benefits including affordable, brand-name products, an alternative to credit financing with the opportunity to return your merchandise after the minimum lease period without penalty, as well as later being able to pick back up again where you left off, without additional cost. Also included is social media, including Facebook, Twitter and a video spoof of the commercials on YouTube.

The Latin/Spanish spot is sung in Spanish, which Black is fluent in. Scenes alternate between Black entertaining on stage, dancing with customers in Aaron's stores and hanging out with Aaron's NASCAR drivers and pit crew. Aaron's tag line "Nobody beats Aaron's," also the song's chorus, aims to let potential customers know that Aaron's will beat any competitor's advertised price while also providing excellent customer service.

The commercials were produced and directed by Aaron's in-house creative team. The creative team is also developing a behind-the-scenes documentary that chronicles the theme song recording sessions at SoundStage Studios with renowned recording engineer Chuck Ainlay and top studio musicians in Nashville.

Aaron's, Inc., which offers both sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 1,775 company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada.