• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 10, 2008

In an effort to boost sluggish appliance sales, Sears is launching a new "Reinvent Your Kitchen" campaign, tied to the opening of the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago this week.

The kitchen effort is an extension of the company's "Reimagine you" campaign, launched last month--which encourages Sears shoppers to reinvent themselves on every level, from their kitchens to their closets to their patios. That effort is based on a survey that found that three out of five people say that despite their financial concerns, they are still interested in investing in small home improvements that can make a difference.

The new kitchen effort, put together by Tribune Media Net, is scheduled to include radio as well as $15,000 in appliance prizes, 30-minute custom-produced TV programs in nine major markets (including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago), and newspapers.

For Sears, burnishing the Kenmore brand is critical. The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company is struggling with dismal sales results. And while Kenmore is one of its strongest brand assets, the company cited appliance sales as a particular weakness in its declining same-store sales in its most recent quarter.

Of course, Sears--which can still lay claim to the No. 1 spot in North American appliance sales--isn't alone--the real-estate slump has also bruised appliance sales at rivals like Home Depot and Lowe's.

But Sears' emphasis on style is right on trend. A new report from the NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research company, says shoppers are counting on sleek looks more than ever when sizing up purchases, with black appliances taking away market share from white ones in 2007 in all categories, except for dishwashers. And despite the slowing economy, consumers are still loving those pricier stainless steel appliances.

The brightest spots, it says, are in laundry rooms, with red, blue, and green machines commanding some of the top price points. "The movement away from the crisp, white laundry room is evident as sales of white laundry appliances are flat or down slightly in these categories," it says, with color turning into a major purchase driver, as consumers increasingly turn their laundry areas into multifunctional spaces.