• by Larissa Faw , September 4, 2015

The two months before Columbus Day is a peak furniture buying season. That is why Big Lots is launching a new multifaceted campaign to promote the discount retailer's expanding array of furniture and home décor products. 

Developed with agency O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul (OKRP), the concept is designed to reach women by highlighting the unique friendship between female best friends.

The spot shows several pairs of friends repeating common phrases including "get out," "have you ever" and "right" to illustrate the great deals they received after shopping at Big Lots. 

See the video here.

Unlike previous Big Lots campaigns rooted primarily around TV, this initiative is concentrated around digital and social media. Big Lots has acquired nearly 1.8 million Facebook fans, almost 100,000 Twitter followers and over eight million YouTube views in less than two years. 

In addition to the new video, the campaign will include search, social influencers, digital display and a partnership with true[X] that features styled rooms where consumers can click for more product information and receive design tips. 

“Big Lots is activating more marketing through digital and social channels to reach and engage our customers,” noted Andrew Stein, Chief Customer Officer of Big Lots. “She regularly uses multiple platforms and we are adding more content with every new initiative to give her inspiration, information and more reasons to shop Big Lots first.” 

This campaign represents the first time Big Lots is working with a social media celebrity--interior designer Meg Caswell. In addition to appearing in the video, Caswell will utilize her own social media footprint, including writing about the campaign on her blog. 

“When you look at the cast in these spots you can see that these women represent the Big Lots customer. They are funny, engaging and smart about what they want and what they like,” explained Tom O’Keefe, CEO of OKRP. “As with all work we do for Big Lots, this campaign really captures the voice of the Big Lots brand through its customers."

Big Lots annually spends around $13-$14 million on advertising each year, according to the company's financial statements. While its overall budget remains consistent, the retailer continues to shift more money to digital and away from print this year. T

This campaign also underscores how important furniture sales have become to the retailer. This category was the retailer's highest performer in Q2 2015, outpacing food, clothing and outdoor.