• by Tanya Gazdik , March 16, 2017

Hunter Douglas is featuring style icon Iris Apfel in a campaign highlighting the brand’s PowerView intelligent shade system.

In a category whose advertising is typically quite traditional, the 95-year-old Apfel adds color. Her bold thinking and appreciation for distinctive style are what first attracted the brand to her, says Vic Carlson, senior vice president of corporate marketing, Hunter Douglas.

“Iris is a legend in so many regards — style icon, interior designer and textile industry pioneer, just to name a few,” Carlson tells Marketing Daily. “This meeting of the minds plus Iris’ strong design credentials made her a natural choice to partner with. We are endlessly inspired by her ingenuity and drive. It was truly an honor to work with her.” 

The “disruptive” campaign celebrates both Apfel’s and Hunter Douglas’ dedication to bold thinking, quality, design, and the belief that as Apfel says, “In your home, the right lighting is just as important as style.”

Anchored by a 30-second commercial video, which can be viewed at hunterdouglas.com, the campaign leverages Apfel’s star power to highlight the benefits of pairing beautiful window treatment designs with advanced operating technologies. 

The campaign, from Roberts & Langer, includes a multimillion-dollar national TV buy spanning network prime time, cable, video-on-demand and online streaming TV. The effort also includes digital pre-roll and other online advertising, dedicated content on the brand’s Web site, e-mail blasts, PR and social media activities, PPC and SEO.

The Hunter Douglas PowerView motorization system is an intelligent wireless operating system that allows users to program their shades to automatically adjust throughout the day. 

Director Daniela Federici shot the ad on location in New York with the concept of following Apfel throughout her day — greeting the morning, designing in the afternoon, and enjoying some well-deserved down time — and illustrating how scheduled PowerView Scenes automatically provide Apfel with the room lighting effects, privacy and overall room ambiance she desires.