‘Man’s World’ for PrimeSource

Martino & Binzer targets consumers and businesses in its first TV and print campaigns for PrimeSource Building Products.

The Avon, Conn., agency, which picked up the tool manufacturer in February, has crafted a tongue-in-cheek, self-consciously sexist television ad for the client’s PrimeAir division. The work trumpets the company’s expansion from a dealer and distributor into a manufacturer of its own product lines.

The spot opens with a truck traveling a rural road, PrimeAir tools hanging in the window. “In a man’s world, you don’t think about things like relationships,” a voiceover says. “You think about trucks—and tools,” a reference to Prime Air’s nail guns, staplers and other product lines.

“Because in a man’s world, there’s always something that needs finishing—just ask your wife,” the voiceover continues as the camera pans the inside of a refrigerator to reveal a nail gun next to leftovers. A to-do list is attached to the door.

Some staffers at the 20-person agency raised concerns about the ad’s content. But the client embraced the spot as a humorous way to communicate product attributes, said Linda Graziano, PrimeSource marketing director.

The 30-second TV spot evokes the outdoors to appeal to a male target audience. “We tried to create a personality/lifestyle approach to attract both dealers and consumers,” said agency president David Martino.

The ad targets building suppliers, lumber yards, distributors and homeowners. Spending is in the six figures. The tagline: “Real life. Real tools.”

Print ads carry a similar theme and will run through year’s end in trade publications.

The agency also produced print ads for the company’s Pro Twist division that promote its drywall and concrete fasteners and steel framing.

One ad shows a pickup truck resting on a stack of boxes of fasteners. “Pro-Twist fasteners—manufactured to stand up to anything. And that’s just the box,” the text reads. All feature the headline “Made tough. Shipped tough.”