Much of US retail has become a ubiquitous parking lot of big box chain stores, purpose-built around the fringes of town. One retailer though remains a cornerstone of local community and that is Ace Hardware. Celebrating 100 years in 2024, the DIY retailer has smaller stores that are located in communities, and because of that, there is a deep connection with local people and their stories.
We spoke with Allison Pecora, Creative Content Manager, about some of the extraordinary activations that Ace Hardware is supporting and how the brand is amplifying social initiatives.
Congratulations on Ace Hardware’s 'Heartware Stories'! What was the inspiration behind the films?
When we discovered our top performing piece of social media content was a photo with copy describing a helpful moment, we knew we needed to amplify it with video. Everyday people in neighborhoods just like yours go above and beyond to help others, and we knew there were some more incredible stories to be told. There is an appetite for good news.
Then, in anticipation of Ace turning 100 in 2024, we set a goal of 100 helpful stories, with a story for every state. We were driven to show the world that good news is out there, and neighbors still help neighbors.
How does 'Heartware Stories' support and extend Ace’s brand promise?
We have a saying at Ace, “We exist to help others.” Through these stories, we’re not just highlighting an above and beyond helpful moment; many times we’re able to shine a spotlight on a charity, foundation or social issue that gets little to no exposure. For example, the small charity featured in the story “Warrior Freedom Service Dogs” was able to utilize our video to draw sponsors and donations which ultimately led to helping more veterans get dogs to aide in their struggles with PTSD.
View 'A Puppy Named Freedom' video, a program to help veterans living with PTSD
What response have you had to the campaign?
Response has been incredibly positive! You can feel a ripple effect in our YouTube comments from viewers who feel more motivated to be helpful. We have a story called “Melissa’s Closet” about an Ace Hardware store that does a prom dress drive so that every high schooler can afford to go to prom in a dress they love. After hearing the story, more people have reached out to the store to donate prom dresses. We love that we’ve ignited this flame of helpfulness.
We’ve also won a bit of hardware ourselves including best branded content awards from organizations like the Shorty’s, MARCOM and Viddy’s.
Heartware Stories was handled mostly in-house rather than via an external ad agency. What is the structure of your creative team?
Finding the stories, setting up interviews, and coordinating travel plans is all done in-house by me in my role as Creative Content Manager. I scour social media and news articles trying to find stories. Our retailers are incredibly humble and have never submitted story leads on their own behalf. It takes a lot of detective work to find a lead and dive in to get more information.
About 80% of our stories were filmed with an external ad agency. The other 20% of our stories are filmed internally by Ace with a small but mighty team. Dave Millerd from Ace Hardware corporate is the on-site director while I am the video producer. We then hire two local freelancers to lend a hand on sound and lighting.
Do you have plans to build on Heartware Stories in the future?
Helpful doesn’t stop at 100! We will continue to find and document Heartware Stories through our internal Ace production team. In 2024, we combined two stories about different Ace stores that both aim to bring awareness of the dangers of Fentanyl to their communities. There was so much valuable footage that we felt could really shine a light on drug education and NARCAN. With these stories, we created a short form documentary titled, “One Pill” that we submitted to film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca and more. We are passionate about continuing to turn 'Heartware Stories' into short documentaries to help drive awareness on issues and foundations that we think citizens could benefit from learning more about.
View 'Ending the Stigma', Ace's community work around the dangers of Fentanyl