Thomasville’s "Ernest Hemingway – The Collection Of A Lifetime" Ad Campaign Honored With EFFIE Award

Furniture World Magazine

Thomasville Furniture’s "Ernest Hemingway – The Collection of a Lifetime" national advertising campaign, based on its popular Ernest Hemingway Collection®, has been awarded one of advertising’s highest honors, the EFFIE Award. Presented by The New York American Marketing Association since 1968, the EFFIE Award is the only national award that honors creative achievement in meeting and exceeding advertising objectives. "Thomasville is delighted to receive this honor," said Chris Pfaff, President and CEO of Thomasville. "The advertisements and Thomasville’s Ernest Hemingway Collection were both inspired by the spirit of Ernest Hemingway’s life – his rugged individuality, his magnetic personality and his passion for his craft. We are proud that the New York AMA has recognized our efforts to capture the essence of this great man’s life in our furniture and our advertising campaign." Pfaff said the campaign, created by Mullen/LHC in Winston-Salem, NC, was instrumental in exceeding corporate objectives for the Ernest Hemingway Collection. Sales rose quickly to $34 million in the collection’s first four months and to more than $100 million for year one, making it the largest launch in company history and one of the most successful new lines in the history of the furniture industry. The Hemingway campaign also provided a strong halo effect for the Thomasville brand. Sales across all Thomasville lines increased by 39 percent immediately following the media flight. In addition, Thomasville brand attribution ratings among the targeted boomer age group of 35-49 increased by double digits in the following key categories: elegant styling; wide variety of styles; available in contemporary styles, and durable/lasts a long time. The campaign utilized a unique and innovative media strategy to reach the targeted upscale audience. Thomasville’s expansion into such publications as Vanity Fair, Food & Wine, and O, The Oprah Magazine broke new ground as the first furniture company to advertise in these magazines. Network cable, including Lifetime, A&E, TBS, the Weather Channel and the Travel Channel, was also selected to target the desired synergistic audiences. The media mix also incorporated the use of special programming and sponsorships such as PBS’s Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventures and the Smithsonian Museum’s Hemingway Exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. The "Ernest Hemingway – The Collection of a Lifetime" campaign won in the Household Furnishings and Appliances category. Thomasville will receive the award at the New York AMA’s national EFFIE Awards ceremony on June 6, 2001, in New York City. For more information about Thomasville Furniture and their home furnishing offerings, please call 1-800-225-0265 or visit their website at www.thomasville.com.