Top Digital Advertising Channels for Decking Brands in Q1 2023

Key Takeaways

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Advertising Channel Scan™

Advertising Trends

• From September 2021 to December 2022, the competitive set spent a total of $591M, with $3M on deck-related ads.
• Spikes in deck-related ad spend is seen in warmer months (April- June 2022), with an average spending increase of +171%.
• Trex saw the highest investment at $1.3M followed by Home Depot ($1.1M).
• Home Depot (+193%) is the only brand that saw an increase in ad spend for deck-related ads.

Platform Trends

• OTT saw the highest ad spend allocation ($909K), followed by Paid Search ($708K) and Facebook ($602K).
• Facebook (-24%) and Paid Search (-32%) are the only channels that saw decreases in ad spend for deck-related ads.
• YouTube saw the largest relative increase from $516 to $14K. 

‍Content Opportunities

• Trex aligned the sentimental value of building memories in the backyard with the value of their decks.
• Home Depot used a Memorial Day sale to highlight the accessibility of building your own deck for hosting.
• Lowe’s used Paid Search to target people looking for the Trex brand name to purchase on their site.
• MoistureShield used Paid Search to promote a deck cost calculator to help buyers plan their next purchase.

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The following companies were included in the competitive set for this analysis:

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From September 2021 to December 2022, the competitive set spent $591M on digital advertising.

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During this time period, $3M (>1%) of the overall budget went towards deck-related ads.

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Spike in ad spend is seen from April to June 2022 as brands align to the warmer weather for deck use and building. On average, spending increased +171% in this period.

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From October 2021 to December 2022, brands in the competitive set invested $2.5M into deck-related ads. Trex saw the highest investment at $1.3M followed by Home Depot ($1.1M).

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All brands in the competitive set saw decreases in ad spend on deck-related ads from the first half to the second half of the period except for Home Depot (+193%).

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From October 2021 to December 2022, OTT saw the highest ad spend allocation ($909K), followed by Paid Search ($708K) and Facebook ($602K).

Instagram ($159K) and YouTube ($15K) saw the lowest ad spend allocations in the deck-related advertising space.

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All channels saw increases in deck-related ad spend from the first half to the second half of the period except for Facebook (-24%) and Paid Search (-32%). YouTube saw the largest relative increase from $516 to $14K. 

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From October 2021 to December 2022, the United States saw the highest budget allocation across the competitive set at $2.4M (96%).

Only 4% (~$107K) of the budget focusing on decks was allocated to Canada. 

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From October 2021 to December 2022, Trex spent $1.3M on digital advertising. 30% of their budget went towards OTT ($386K), followed by Facebook ($340K).

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On OTT Networks, Trex budgeted $252K toward 30 second ads followed by 15 second ads ($89K) and 60 second ads ($37K). 

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OTT Tactics

Trex spent $386K on OTT ads from October 2021 to December 2022.

Sentimentality:

• Both top ads are 30 seconds long and focus on building a sentimental storyline around the memories that are made in backyards. It touches on the growth that families have from parents seeing their children playing in the grass to getting married. This builds an aspirational ideal for viewers who want to incorporate family moments into their lives and homes.

Trex at Lowe’s:

• This ad features a call to action at the end to shop their product at Lowe’s, including a specific landing page, “lowes.trex.com” viewers can visit.

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On Facebook, Trex budgeted $251K toward Link Post ads (77%) followed by Carousel Post ads at $38K (12%). 

The formats with the lowest budget allocation are Video Post ads ($31K) and Photo Post ads ($5K).  

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Facebook Tactics

Trex spent $340K on Facebook from October 2021 to December 2022.

Simplicity:

• Trex’s top ad spends tend to be very minimal, featuring a simple image of decks with specific CTAs. 
• In this ad, the CTA lets buyers know they have options regarding how they want their deck to look. The prompt is to order board samples to figure out what colour is best for their space.
• In this ad, the CTA focuses on ordering a sample to kick start building a dream deck or visiting Home Depot to shop Trex products in person.

Spend: $8.3K |Imp.: 870K | CPM: $9.54

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Spend: $4.4K |Imp.: 569K | CPM: $7.73

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From October 2021 to December 2022, Home Depot spent $1.1M in deck-related digital advertising. 47% of their budget went towards OTT ($524K), followed by Facebook at $262K (24%).

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Home Depot budgeted $342K toward 30 second ads (65%) compared to $182K on 15 second ads (35%).

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OTT Tactics

Home Depot spent $524K on OTT deck-related ads from October 2021 to December 2022.

Memorial Day:

• Home Depot’s top two ads for decking feature the same creative at 30 and 15 seconds. The ads focus on the start of good weather to get decks made to build memories with. They leverage this by promoting a Memorial Day sale at the end of the video.

People in Action:

• These creatives feature everyday people going through the process of buying, scoping and building their own decks for their homes. This makes the prospect of doing it yourself more feasible.

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On Facebook, Home Depot budgeted $139K toward Photo Post ads (53%) followed by Carousel Post ads at $113K (43%) and Video Post ads ($11K). 

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Facebook Tactics

Home Depot spent $262K on Facebook deck-related ads from October 2021 to November 2022.

Entertaining:

• Both of Home Depot’s top Facebook ads allude to the entertainment possibilities with decks. This ad features an image of a deck with five lounge chairs. This ad uses copy and images to show the possibilities of having people over with the space a deck provides.

Quality:

• Home Depot tends to highlight the attributes of durability, quality materials and easy planning & building on Facebook.

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From October 2021 to December 2022, Lowe’s spent $157K in digital advertising. Lowe’s only invested in Paid Search advertising for deck-related ads, taking up 100% of the budget.

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100% of the budget for Paid Search deck-related ads was allocated to the United States.

As of November 2022, Lowe’s announced their Canadian operations will be sold to a US private equity firm in hopes to better position themselves as a Home Depot competitor.

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Paid Search Tactics

Lowe’s spent $157K on Paid Search deck-related ads from October 2021 to December 2022. April 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $20K. 

Brand Focus:

• In all of Lowe’s top search ads in April 2022, Trex’s brand name is featured in all titles. This gives readers the opportunity to either recognize the trusted name or do research on it through the site.

Varying Offers:

• The top ad spend for April 2022 focuses on telling readers about the resources available to them through Trex at Lowe’s whether it be a Deck Kit, deck supplies or how-to guides.

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From October 2021 to December 2022, MoistureShield spent $54K in digital advertising. 

99% of the budget went towards Paid Search ($53K), followed by a small allocation in Display at $780 (1%).

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93% of the budget for Paid Search deck-related ads was allocated to the United States ($49.6K). 7% of the budget was allocated to Canada at $3.6K.

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Paid Search Tactics

MoistureShield spent $53K on Paid Search from October 2021 to December 2022. December 2022 saw the highest ad spend of $8K. 

Deck Calculator:

• MoistureShield directs readers to their site by offering a composite deck cost calculator. Similarly, Home Depot’s top Paid Search month used 2% of the month’s budget towards a deck calculator. 

Low Maintenance:

• MoistureShield’s copy is similar to messaging hosted by most brands in the competitive set, except for a focus on low maintenance upkeep. Copy such as “For low maintenance, outdoor living spaces” and “built to stand the test of time” is used to convey this message. 

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*Ad spend includes Facebook, Display, Search, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter

*Spend is a directional approximation and does not include retargeting, or behavioural targeting.

*Digital Ad Spend in US & Canada (USD)