• Brandweek, Friday, September 10, 2010 9:38 AM

Ethan Allen' new ad campaign aims to convince consumers that they don't have to splurge on lots of furniture to create a stylish home, reports Elaine Wong. The home furnishings retailer is introducing a series of TV, print, online and direct mail ads that position Ethan Allen as an "aspirational" and "attainable" brand through slogans like: "A great room starts with a great piece." And: "Relax. You don't have to do it all at once."

CEO Farooq Kathwari said the new push also aims to differentiate the brand from competitors. Ethan Allen, which didn't disclose the cost of the campaign, upped ad expenditures by 35% in its recent quarter -- mostly as a result of bigger market share gains, Kathwari said. According to the Nielsen Co., the brand spent $23 million on advertising last year, and $8 million through June of this year, excluding online.

To promote its new pitch, Ethan Allen is running print ads every other Monday in The New York Times. Some of the more recent versions show products like a Jericho Chair (which sells for $1,109), a Wilshire Table ($1,199) and Lloyd Desk ($1,799) depicted in elegant black-and-white settings with the tagline: "It's like collecting art. You do it piece by piece."

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