CHICAGO - Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation's largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women." />
CHICAGO - Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation's largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women." /> True Value Makes A Pitch to Women <b>By Jim Kir</b><br clear="none"/><br clear="none"/>CHICAGO - Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation's largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women.
CHICAGO - Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation's largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women." />

CHICAGO – Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation’s largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women." data-categories = "" data-popup = "" data-ads = "Yes" data-company = "[]" data-outstream = "yes" data-auth = "">

True Value Makes A Pitch to Women By Jim Kir

CHICAGO - Despite the male-heavy world of hardware retailing, True Value Hardware, the nation's largest chain, is making a subtle pitch to women.

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In its first major image campaign, which could see an estimated $10-15-million backing in network and spot through newly hired gun McConnaughy Stein Schmidt Brown here, the company is looking to appeal to what it sees as a growing woman customer base, while giving its image quite an overhaul from the days where price and item dominated its advertising.
Void of once-omnipresent pitchman Pat Summerall, the first of three ads breaking the week of May 24 is a spot about a new father who is looking to paint his newborn son’s room.
Agency officials say the image approach is an attempt to rise above the parity between the two largest chains Ace and True Value, and to stave off big discounters like Builders Square by pushing service.
‘No one in the category seems to be doing anything to lift their image,’ said McConnaughy executive creative director Jim Schmidt. ‘In tests, we found that people couldn’t tell you the difference between an Ace ad and a True Value ad.’
True Value named McConnaughy its agency in March after a creative shootout with CME-KHBB/Chicago and Meyer & Wallis, Milwaukee. In addition, Ace Hardware dumped its longtime agency to go with Foote, Cone & Belding/Chicago last fall.
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