Harbor Freight Tools: Redefining value for tool optimists

Retail chain Harbor Freight Tools created the Tool Optimists campaign to shift brand perception, grow awareness and consideration, and increase store traffic in the United States.

Summary of the marketing challenge, methodology, insight discovered, creative execution and business impact.

In 2021, Americans were spending more time at home, and in turn spending more time fixing up their homes. Competitors including Home Depot and Lowe's 'owned' the market, attracting the vast majority of DIYers and Pros taking on new projects. Harbor Freight had low brand awareness and legacy customers who knew the brand saw its strength as a promotion-driven, discount tool retailer. To acquire a greater share of the burgeoning home improvement market, Harbor Freight needed to expand their customer base, connecting with an aspirational segment while...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands