• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, February 9, 2011

For Ace Hardware, customer satisfaction isn't just a nice idea, it's the whole point. The secret, which results in its winning its category again in the 15th annual Brand Keys Loyalty Index, is knowing what makes it different than its competitors.

While both Home Depot and Lowe's are much larger players in the DIY category, "we're very clear that our mission is home maintenance and repair, while they're about home improvement," Rich Neal, who is Ace's One-to-One Manager and oversees Ace Rewards (Ace's consumer loyalty program), tells Marketing Daily. "That's the real difference."

The Oak Brook, Ill.-company, which bills itself as "Ace, the helpful place," has successfully positioned itself as the store that "turns your to-do list into a to- done list." Last week it broke its new spring advertising campaign, further strengthening that message for suburbanites seeking good-enough solutions to home maintenance. The new TV ads, themed "Get back your weekend," feature throngs of average homeowners demanding a speedier solution. "Should we spend our weekend wandering in some home improvement warehouse?," chants one, as he rallies the troops. "No—we should get that garbage disposal fixed by noon!"