Hornbach: Gothic Girl
Hornbach wanted to demonstrate how DIY projects could be more than just construction - they could be powerful, emotional statements of love and acceptance, connecting with customers on a deeper, personal level, showcasing the brand's commitment to individual expression.
Creative Idea
A father transformed his home to embrace his goth daughter's identity.
A father's DIY project transforms their home into a gothic sanctuary, powerfully demonstrating Hornbach's message that personal projects are profound expressions of unconditional love and acceptance for his daughter's unique identity.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Hornbach credibly delivers the means for deeply personal projects that express love and acceptance.
Category
DIY stores often focus on practical home improvement or generic aesthetic upgrades.
Customer
The audience wanted to feel understood and express their true selves through their environment.
Culture
A cultural shift towards embracing individuality and diverse identities made this message resonate.
Company
Hornbach credibly delivers the means for deeply personal projects that express love and acceptance.
Category
DIY stores often focus on practical home improvement or generic aesthetic upgrades.
Strategy:
Empower personal projects as profound expressions of love and acceptance.
Customer
The audience wanted to feel understood and express their true selves through their environment.
Culture
A cultural shift towards embracing individuality and diverse identities made this message resonate.
Strategy:
Empower personal projects as profound expressions of love and acceptance.
Strategy Technique
Find the Consumer Truth
The campaign taps into the universal human desire for acceptance and belonging, especially within family. It shows a father's project as a profound expression of this truth for his daughter.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Tell a story: Against social norms
The ad portrays a goth girl's struggle against societal expectations and norms. Her father's project defies these, creating a haven of acceptance and belonging.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its art direction and art direction, powerfully using visual contrast to tell an emotionally resonant story of self-expression. The music and acting elevate the narrative, making the protagonist's journey deeply felt.
The meticulous creation of contrasting visual worlds – the overwhelmingly cheerful, pastel suburb versus the protagonist's dark aesthetic and the eventual black house – is visually striking and effectively communicates the central theme.
The original choral music composition perfectly underpins the emotional journey, shifting from melancholic and isolated to majestic and empowering, guiding the viewer through the protagonist's transformation.
The emotional impact of this ad largely stems from the seamless synergy between the bold ideamaking, the contrasting visual art direction, the evocative musical score, and the understated yet powerful acting, all working in concert to tell a compelling story.
