The Home Depot has quietly launched a platform. Which many building product manufacturers never expected.
Positioning the big box retailer today… as a “media company.”
While many Building Product Brands were investing in independent campaigns, The Home Depot was investing in an audience.
In fact, Orange Apron Media recently announced new integrations with both Reddit and Pinterest – extending Home Depot’s first-party data into the places where contractors research project solutions – before they buy.
Part of a bigger trend, retailer media has grown large enough to eclipse even television advertising. Home Depot now counts thousands of suppliers as advertisers. And an audience of roughly six billion annual visitors to its stores and website.
Read that from a manufacturer’s chair.
And recognize a marketing model that any Building Product Brand can leverage today… known simply as “owned media”.
Increasingly, competitive advantage is not merely having the best product.
It is owning the audience. Who discovers that product.
A Familiar Framework With A New Center of Gravity
“Paid” is a media community that one purchases. For example… advertising in trade magazines and sponsored posts.
“Earned” is the credibility others extend to you. PR and influencer engagement are instances.
“Shared” is the conversation audiences join… often leveraged on social media platforms.
And increasingly popular, “owned” is a media asset that no one can take away from you.
“Earned” Builds Belief… While “Owned” Builds The Record
Third-party credibility is rewarded, Or as is often recognized, “earned.”
Which is why PR budgets are forecast to double for building products. After all, the word of an editor – or influencer – carries some of the best forms of credibility.
That coverage, however, lives on someone else’s page. Under headlines, a brand did not write. And inside an archive… that one doesn’t control.
Brands that benefit longest bring it home, into a resource hub. A media room.
A library of proof. That belongs to them.
Because campaigns are designed to end.
Owned assets – are designed – to accumulate.
Owned Is The Only Ground You Hold The Deed To
Every builder understands the difference between real estate which is owned. And land which is leased.
Only one is still yours, When the terms change.
It’s the same model in publishing. An algorithm shifts. A platform revises its policy. An editor moves on. And a brand’s reach – unfortunately – moves with them.
Owned does not.
A website and landing pages. Email databases and newsletters. A short-form video library. All built… one relationship at a time.
No outside party can revoke any of it.
Owned media will refuse to reset to zero.
The Longer One Invests In “Owned” Media… The More Valuable It Grows
One article rarely changes a market position. Instead, a body of work does. Offering the ability to repeat exposure.
While growing familiarity.
Familiarity becomes trust. And trust becomes authority.
Reputation – after all – is simply consistency, remembered.
Why This Matters More Now
Consider what has happened to the borrowed traffic – which most brands, previously – counted on.
Fewer than one-in-three Google searches now end in a click. As AI-generated answers appears at the top of the results page… click-through falls. By nearly 60 percent.
AI does not reward what a company knows. It rewards what brand promises have consistently demonstrated.
If none of that has been published – cited or reinforced – that knowledge remains largely invisible.
“Owned” media is how expertise… leaves a trail.
Which is why generative engine optimization asks for a consistent, credible body of published thinking.
Reinforced by earned coverage.
And extended through “owned” channels.
What This Looks Like… In Current Practice
When Shaw Floors set out to grow awareness for its Builder + Multifamily division… the assignment was not a campaign.
It was a foundation.
A unifying vision – for a new website and content resources – their internal team could build on.
And an elevated thought leadership presence.
Carried outbound through a series of highly relevant enewsletters.
The overarching campaign K&A developed, “Every Day. In Every Way,” elevated into a compelling brand promise. Prominently displayed on the website. Embraced through marketing materials.
Celebrated by customers and employees alike.
One Last Thought
The question worth asking in your next planning session is not which channel deserves more budget.
Instead, you should ponder, “when the campaign ends, what remains?”
The Home Depot answered that same question. And built accordingly.
Why merely borrow your audience?
The Building Product Brands that commercialize best. Are rarely the ones spending the most.
Rather, they are the ones building assets.
That make every future marketing investment… more valuable.
Commercialization is ultimately about building systems that make adoption easier.
Faster and more sustainable.
“Owned” media is one of those systems.
The brands positioned to benefit next – are the ones already building on ground – they hold the deed to.
At Kleber & Associates, our team has invested some four decades helping Building Product Brands build equity with “owned” media. After all, you’re reading an example of how this works right now.
Let’s consider the opportunity together – to leverage a similar model – for your team in 2027.
(404) 918-5700
