Participation rises in National Home Furnishings Month campaign

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 11, 2011

LAS VEGAS — The third annual National Home Furnishings Month broke participation records this year, reported International Market Centers, sponsor of the campaign.

The month-long "Is It Home Yet?" campaign, which ended Sept. 30, broadened the appeal of the grand prize in a consumer contest from a year of mortgage payments, as in the past, to either mortgage or rent for a year.

IMC also executed a targeted social media and Web campaign. The promotion drew nearly 118,000 entries, an 11% increase compared to last year's campaign, and the official website HomeYet.com drew 128,814 unique visitors and 316,780 page views, according to IMC.

The program, which is free to retailers, was designed to drive sales to participating stores and offer consumers advice on home décor. This year's campaign attracted 15% more stores than last year, the IMC reported.

The Facebook fan base was 51,396 at the conclusion of the campaign, a 20% growth in "likes" over last year.

Of the consumers who entered the sweepstakes, 45% said that when shopping for furnishings they would mostly seek expert advice and information in stores, and 32% said they would use the Internet, according to IMC.

"For the third year in a row, the National Home Furnishings Month delivered a powerful punch of excitement and engagement for retailers and consumers," said Robert Maricich, CEO of IMC.

In addition to giving consumers a chance to live one year mortgage or rent free, the program served as an attractive marketing tool for participating retailers.

"The dealers said this was a great tool that they used as an ice breaker over the Labor Day Weekend," said Kerry Lebensburger, president of sales at Ashley Furniture. "Consumers loved the opportunity to join in the sweepstakes, and it was a great promotion to have over this historically important weekend."

Reed Crawford, a 54-year-old heavy equipment operator in McKeesport, Pa., received the grand prize and will collect $24,000 cash in one lump sum or $2,000 paid monthly for a year.

"My wife and I currently have a mortgage, but due to recent financial woes, we're about to move to a rental," Crawford said. "This prize money means so much to us. We'll be able to get a head start on renting, with our security deposit and first month's rent, and we'll use it to help pay for the move. We plan to also buy new furnishings for our new home, too."