The Home Depot is a chain of retail supercenters focused on home improvement, construction, and other elements of home and garden maintenance. With stores in all 50 states, all 10 provinces of Canada, and locations in Mexico and China, Home Depot is a retail force to be reckoned with.
With relatively limited competition, Home Depot perpetuates its global position by utilizing brand rhetoric and developing its unique marketing voice.
Ethos (Authority)
A commanding authority is important for the home improvement store, as evidenced by the wording of its advertising. Using a spokesman with a deep, booming voice, and communicating an air of expertise, Home Depot draws homeowners in by establishing the company as a resource as well as a store. The slogan “You can do it. We can help” was popular until 2009, showcasing the emphasis on do-it-yourself projects while still bolstering the Home Depot as a major authority in the market.
Pathos (Emotion)
The Home Depot’s major marketing campaigns focus on a sense of community, making people feel at home with its welcoming language and familial tone. They even used the slogan “When you’re at the Home Depot, You’ll feel right at home” in the 1990s. This sympathetic approach allows the company to cater to the conservative, do-it-yourself-focused homeowners that constitute its primary demographic.
Logos (Logic)
Home Depot’s new slogan, “More saving. More doing” focuses on a logical appeal, unconventional for most retail locations. While it is very concise and thus does not cite any statistics, the phrase is designed to generate an idea that Home Depot has the lowest prices, which translates to being able to get more done. Home Depot’s advertisements also try to cater to a logical appeal, helping customers understand the objective advantages of shopping at their retail locations.
The Home Depot uses a surprisingly equal blend of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in its brand rhetoric marketing voice. With an authority in the do-it-yourself space, a generated feeling of home, and a logical presentation, Home Depot continues to defeat the competition.
