What A Mess: And Delta Faucet Wants To Help Clean It Up

Life is messy and now, Delta Faucet Company is encouraging consumers to live each day to its messiest through the multi-platform "HappiMess" campaign.

"Somewhere along the way, mess got a bad reputation. But that's not really fair. Mess is the evidence of a life well lived and means we're out there making, creating, doing and playing," said Catherine Roper, Delta brand marketing director, "With our new campaign, we want to help consumers embrace 'HappiMess' with confidence, knowing our kitchen and bath innovations will be there to help with the cleanup."

The HappiMess campaign is extensive. Creative agency of record Leo Burnett Chicago created the campaign's 30-second TV spots. Content agency of record McMURRY/TMG created the HappiMess social hub and #HappiMess sweepstakes on Facebook. And Spark is handling media strategy and investment.

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"This was a departure in that all agencies worked together from the beginning," says Bonnie Dombrowski, Media Supervisor, Spark. "From day one, we all were working on integrating all of the campaign's elements." 

This concept represents a shift for Delta. "We traditionally have advertised around technology and now we are focusing on the human aspect," says Steve Carlson, Media Director, Spark.

The campaign message illustrates that messy moments require a good faucet, whether it is for backyard gardening or family meal clean-ups.

All elements of the campaign are designed to engage consumers. Consumers will have the opportunity to share their own messy moments through a Delta #HappiMess social media sweepstakes, starting today.  The user generated content will be aggregated and showcased at DeltaFaucet.com/Happimess.

To help encourage this consumer interaction, Delta Faucet is partnering with several online content providers. The brand becomes the first and only brand in the plumbing and fixtures category to partner with Buzzfeed. "We want to be seen as leaders in the DIY and home improvement space," says Dombrowski, explaining that the site attracts a high number of readers interested in home and design. Launching in September, Buzzfeed will create eight custom posts around HappiMess content that will serve as a call-to-action, driving to the HappiMess Sweepstakes. They will be distributed across Buzzfeed and their affiliated partners. 

At the same time, Delta Faucet is teaming up for the second year with Mode (formerly Glam), which utilizes its bloggers and influencers. Delta will engage a network of influencers for a three-part HappiMess content series across their influencer network. The partnership will initially host a launch event exclusive for a select group of bloggers. This event will be filmed, and the footage will be turned into a digital video that then will be distributed across online websites. 

More broadly, Mode's influencers will post content introducing readers to the HappiMess campaign and encouraging them to share their own HappiMess moments with Delta. All thirty participating bloggers will host an In-Home HappiMess Party and will each receive a Delta Touch2O Technology faucet to aid in the cleanup. Bloggers will recap the party in their second post. The campaign will culminate in a third post that drives readers to a Mode Sweepstakes where readers will share their own HappiMess moments for the chance to win a Delta Temp2O Technology showerhead.
Integrated cross-platform partnerships with several publishers are designed to ensure the campaign lives across print, digital and mobile. 

Delta and Southern Living's partnership includes an advertorial in which readers receive monthly cooking tips, and starting in September, they will be able to scan a digimarc in the advertorial to unlock recipes. Southern Living's website features a custom co-branded unit that displays the tips and additional video content from the Test Kitchen. Lastly, Delta Faucet and Southern Living serve as sponsors for the annual Taste of Charleston festival in September. The Southern Living Test Kitchen will conduct a live demonstration of one of Delta's messy recipes on their main stage with the help of Delta's Touch2O Technology. 

Delta Faucet will also run an advertorial in Real Simple magazine that encourages Real Simple readers to participate in the HappiMess sweepstakes. In addition to a print advertorial that features a homemade ravioli recipe, the program includes a how-to video featuring Real Simple blogger Pippa Lord creating the dish and more to make a complete meal, which readers can unlock using a digimarc. An accompanying digital and social plan drives to the campaign landing page on Delta's website that houses the complete blogger video and recipe.

Delta is partnering with Outside magazine and its “Best Towns in America” series for the "Find Your HappiMess" advertorial that shares the best messy activities in the top best towns.

To extend the content to the digital space, MCMURRY/TMG worked with Outside editors on a content piece for Delta's “Inspired Living” content hub - "7 Bath Essentials for Active People" that will also be featured on Delta's website.

Lastly, Delta's partnership with HGTV includes an advertorial that features how-to instructions for readers to create their own in-kitchen herb garden. The advertorial runs in its print magazine as well as across HGTV's and Delta's social channels.

As part of the media buy, traditional ads will air across network and cable TV, including late night and primetime cable programming on AMC and FX. 

This multi-faceted initiative is critical in reaching today's consumers, says Carlson. "We wanted to extend the campaign to more places and more experiences. It makes a stronger connection and brings the brand to life rather than just seeing an ad." 

Delta's parent company Masco declines to break ad spend by brand, but the company, which also owns Behr and Liberty Hardware, spent $17 million in 2013 and projects 2014 ad spend to be around $10 million, according to company financial filings.

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