• by Aaron Baar , May 9, 2016

As homeowners begin dusting off their mowers, weed trimmers and other yard machines after a long winter, Troy-Bilt wants them to have the confidence that they work. 

With a new TV and digital campaign, the brand uses a mournful country ballad (with a refrain saying “Don’t let me down”) to show off its dependability. 

“We’ve boiled it down to ‘When your equipment doesn’t work, it ruins your day,’” Anthony delVecchio, management supervisor at agency Marcus Thomas (which developed the campaign), tells Marketing Daily. “We want you to [know], that when you have a Troy-Bilt product, it works when and where you need it.”

The overarching brand spot juxtaposes dark-tinged shots of pull-starters breaking, wheels falling off and engines smoking, followed by sunny shots of a group of lab-coated testers showing how they put each piece of equipment through a battery of tests. “We do everything we can to break our products here,” says a voiceover. “So they don’t let you down [back in the yard].”

The effort also includes commercials for Troy-Bilt’s new Core electric yard tools and new attachments of its gas-powered Flex line. Marketing for the Core line also includes a partnership with CNET to be part of its “SmartHome” section, and is specifically targeted to those with green-energy interests. 

The brand is also relying heavily on addressable television through AT&T U-Verse, Dish and DirecT to more effectively target homeowners with DIY and gardening interests, delVecchio says.

“Every year we try to up the ante on things that are new and experimental,” he says. “The media strategy acknowledges there’s many smaller opportunities to engage with consumers.”