Why Lee Valley Is Encouraging Canadians to Relish in the Doing
In an age when more and more, we’re using automated systems to take care of tasks, spending our free time watching TV shows, and only celebrating the best of the best work, the place for analog craftsmanship within society has suffered. There’s a new generation growing up with digital immersion, and who would probably describe their idea of a hobby as playing video games, and not doing something like woodworking.
But, none of this means that there isn’t a desire to produce and partake in good, honest craftswork. In fact, in recent years, there’s been a resurgence of demand, which has proven a great opportunity for many in the business. However, to this end, Lee Valley realised it needed to shift its marketing approach in order to better capture attention. Having initially been all about the product, it, along with partner creative agency Lifelong Crush, realised that as the core customer was ageing out, the new generation wanted to see marketing that celebrates the process - and the idea that the journey is just as fulfilling as the destination.
To this end, the two released a new spot titled ‘Making Happiness’, which does just this. Narrated by the one and only Nick Offerman – an incredible woodworker in his own right – the project was shot entirely in-house at the agency using vintage macro lenses, and really embraces the brand’s DIY DNA to remind fans of woodworking to relish in the doing.
In order to find out more about how this all came to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Lee Valley Tools’ president and chief operating officer, Jason Tasse, and Lifelong Crush partner and chief creative officer Christina Yu for a chat.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign! What initial ideas came to mind, and how was the work distributed between agency and brand?
Jason> Lee Valley Tools, like many organisations, has a maturity where initially it was all about the product. But after 46 years, it has come across two issues. One is that the customer is changing. The core customer is ageing out, and we're now trying to attract a new generation.
The second is the need for tonal shift: from product-focused to a more emotive focus. We're really trying to tap into people's passion and move from transactional marketing campaigns to far more emotional ones; the enjoyment of doing and the act of doing, where the tools are this wonderful supporting character. So, as a campaign, this was about motive. It celebrates going through the process, and recognising that the journey is just as fun and as fulfilling as the destination.
Regarding collaboration, we’ve been working with Lifelong Crush for a couple of years now. Christina Yu and her team have been instrumental in helping take point on this transition – especially this shift to a brand level campaign, as opposed to a very product-focused one. However, as a catalogue company that's been around for decades, we're very good at writing copy on the Lee Valley brand and voice, so, I’ve also got to call out our young marketing team who was immediately ready to put their heart and soul into this. From the start, they were so enthusiastic about the brand and getting a strong market response.
Christina> The brief was to remind the Lee Valley customer – the woodworker – to relish in the ‘doing’. The process of woodworking is a reward in itself – not just the final result. It’s a continuation of the ‘Let’s Do Something’ platform, and expanded this clear idea with a beautifully crafted film romancing that process.
LBB> Building on the theme of transactional versus emotional, what research inspired the decision to change your marketing approach?
Jason> In 2019, we commissioned a significant research project where we surveyed over 8,000 Lee Valley customers. In doing that, what we landed on was a set of archetypes and personas, and what was important to them in their lives.
In addition to that, we identified the six stages of shopping at Lee Valley Tools. Very quickly, we came to the realisation that we're active in the middle portion – when people are ready to shop, we serve them well. However, it was also clear that when people were looking for inspiration, we weren’t as active. We're talking about when you're at home and you're like 'I'd like to do a hobby – I'm completely digitally fatigued and I want to get into something, whether it's carving a spoon or working in the backyard'. It always starts with this kind of intent, which leads people online, and we felt we just weren't present there.
So, a lot of the brand campaign intent was to really push up earlier into the six stages of shopping. Much of what we're doing to strengthen our relationship with our core demographic and simultaneously attract a new customer base is going up in the very early stages to say 'Hey, we get it, we're the place to go to'.
LBB> Notably, this work represents Lifelong Crush’s newly-increased production capability, with all the work being done in-house. As such, how did this capability factor into your initial ideation?
Christina> We’ve always been a team of doers; this project isn’t the first test, but a continuation of what we’re all about. We knew we’d be able to shoot this internally in a beautiful way using vintage lenses, and showcase our focus on craft using cinematography.
LBB> The idea of relishing in the doing, not just the completing is powerful. Why was this the right theme for the brand, and specifically, the right way to expand the Let’s Do Something’ platform?
Jason> What's fascinating about people is the beginner's mindset. When we're younger, we're not concerned about judgement or failure. We're all just trying things and doing things. But, as we get older, we tend to build up this lack of vulnerability and this fear of failure. So much of mainstream media is about celebrating the champions and the perfect outcomes. But that's not people. What's wonderful is taking the first step. Learning is about working your way through it, and the uncomfortable tendencies you go through to actually stretch yourself and achieve a new learned skill.
So, with this platform, we were specifically not targeting this idea of ‘outcome’, because to measure against a champion or a perfect piece is intimidating – you just walk away from it. But by going right after the heart of 'fun is in the failure', we could emphasise that as the place where the learning is, what holds so many of us back is this fear that you may look foolish or feel foolish. We want people to embrace the beginner's mindset and the discomfort again, because on the other side of it, the real work can begin.
LBB> Why was now the right time to do this, and why was it so important for the brand to lean into its DIY DNA?
Jason> If you think back to school, when you would do projects, there was this kind of enjoyment. We often refer to this internally as the 'look what I made’ moment, where it's like 'Look what I made! Look what I made!'. It's this concept of creating something yourself.
Today, there's such a departure from that. It's such a consumer-based throwaway type of society, as opposed to one focused on just building something. For example, my family got into gardening, and we wanted to create this tomato garden. We went through all the learnings – pest control, proper planting spaces, staking, etc. – and at the end of it, we came away with a pretty ugly tomato. You wouldn't give a second look to it at a grocery store, but it was the best tomato we'd ever had, because we made it. This is the concept of doing it yourself. Today, you walk into any grocery store, and you avoid blemishes. It's about supporting this perfect product. However, it is the enjoyment and the journey of adding personal value to something, and building a connection with it as you go, which matters. So, the concept of doing it yourself is tied to getting started and putting your time – the currency of today – into something, and then creating the value yourself. That's why we go after this mentality. And of course, we love the fact that people work with their hands, their hearts, and their minds to create something.
Now, why was today the right time to do it? Well, it's always important, but especially now, we are a new generation of digital natives in a world often informed by the use of our thumbs, and not the balance of our hands. So, we want to reconnect people with creating and the intimacy of building and working with something, because we just feel that there's this wonderful human desire to make things. Analog activity is important. It's core to who we are. You can only watch so much Netflix. Eventually, you'll just want to get engaged, and as unfortunate as the pandemic was, there was this nice resurgence in analog activity, which, for us, was well timed with the appearance of new, younger, emerging generalists. So, our hope is to inspire a generation of new hobbyists and craftspeople.
LBB> From here, what was the writing process like? How did you create the script, and did you do it with Nick Offerman in mind?
Christina> We were hopeful that Nick would be able to provide the voiceover, and we did write it with him in mind. That being said, when it comes to woodworking, Nick is a woodworker like everybody else – and we wrote it for Nick as any other woodworker – not Nick as Nick Offerman.
LBB> With that in mind, how did you get him involved with the project?
Jason> I get this question often, because how did little Lee Valley Tools land Nick Offerman, right? The best answer I can give is that we have a very unconventional commercial relationship with Nick Offerman and, as a matter of fact, Matty Matheson (who worked with us last year). And all of this is because our work is not based on transactions, but instead, common values. Nick, as wonderful a celebrity as he is, and as successful a movie star as he is... is also a woodworker. He loves it! So, we have this wonderful common ground based on values around sharing the enjoyment of woodworking, and for all the reasons we previously discussed.
In short, it's never a tough sell to convince a Matty Matheson, who is so passionate about food and gardening, or a Nick Offerman, who is extremely passionate about woodworking, to get involved in campaigns like these.
LBB> The visuals are stunning! What inspired the decision to use vintage macro lenses and a shallow depth of field, and how did this impact your approach to filming?
Christina> It really focuses your eye on the small details that you typically see when working with wood. Because we had to focus a bit more than usual on lighting and following the movement of the woodworking tools as they planed and carved, the vintage lenses were the perfect choice, as they complemented the timeless feel of the woodshed and the textures of the wood.
LBB> Building on this, what was the shooting process like? Where did it occur, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Christina> We shot in a real customer’s woodshed over the course of an afternoon… with lots of dust and noise. When you see a real woodworker’s space and the care and materials used, you see the passion and possibilities of what can happen there. It’s a magical process, and time truly slows down.
LBB> The sound design is also superb! What was this process like, and how did you capture and integrate such ASMR-esque audio into the final piece?
Christina> We used a number of mics, some custom foley work, and a mix of pre-recorded sounds to really dial up the visceral feeling of being in the shed. The attention to detail on the sound followed an equally important level of craft as the visuals.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Jason> As a catalogue company at origin, there was a time when we could mail out a catalogue and measure the result. But, as an organisation, to shift into a brand and storytelling investment – that's not so easy to measure. Of course you have impression count and reach engagement, but from a company that is really involved in hobby craft and woodworking where you measure and cut, it's often difficult to calculate on some of the more intangible brand level campaigns. So, for Lee Valley Tools in particular, as we're going through the journey, the challenge is the commitment to the brand's story, while at the same time, sticking to our roots at the more product level.
LBB> What lessons have you learned from the making of this campaign?
Jason> With the Nick Offerman piece, there was actually a little debate on Nick's involvement in it. People were like, 'It's Nick Offerman, but we don't show him anywhere. Surely we have to call out that it's his voice', but I said 'Look. It's not a typical arrangement. We're not asking Nick to help us sell products. We're asking Nick to help with a movement of shared passion. Let's not make it about Nick. Let's make it about the art of craft'. So, as an organisation, this decision really solidified our emphasis on activity and the brand, as opposed to a strong desire to promote a personality ahead of that (which is what most people fall into).
Another big learning for us has been the fact that it's all about positioning the story so that the brand is the focal point from start to finish. We don't want to be distracted by following more conventional media practices. It's really important to us that customers see Lee Valley first, and what it's about.
LBB> Since launch, how have people responded?
Christina> Woodworkers love the spot and truly relate to it. Nick Offerman is a nice surprise (if you recognise his voice), and our most passionate customers know that he’s just like them – a true craftsman.
Jason> We're very proud of the brand campaign as a whole, as well as the work of the marketing teams, and that of Christina and Lifelong Crush. However, the thing that is the most impressive are the comments below the YouTube spot. It's one thing to get 'this is neat', 'hey is that so and so', but what's amazing is how often the word 'love' is used to describe what viewers have just seen, and how often people have commented 'this just nails how I feel'. So when you're going after a very emotive campaign to inspire people, feedback like that is pretty gratifying. And of course, our followership is growing to boot.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into Lee Valley’s plans for 2024 and beyond?
Jason> What's nice about these brand level campaigns is they're, in many respects, evergreen. They're not seasonally tied down, and they're not tied to a specific product, so when you speak at the brand level, you're creating this wonderful content that can be reintroduced at any time.
To this end, we are planning the 2025 year already, and internally, we have clearly adopted the concept of getting on two tracks – these intangible brand level ones, and the tangible sales ones. So as we go forward, we are committed to continuing the storytelling, and building these campaigns off of each other, because it fits really nicely into the strategy of inspiring people.
LBB> Finally, has this campaign inspired you to relish in the doing?
Christina> We’re a team of makers at Lifelong Crush, and this campaign has been a great example and metaphor of our ethos. When we saw the first cut, it reminded us of why we do what we do, and inspired us to keep relishing in the doing of what we do.
