Sep 11, 2006 6:03 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Betsy Spethmann

The Home Depot is putting on a show this month with a cast of diverse brands.

HomeDepot recruited a slate of marketers to host in-store clinics for its first-ever Home Show

The DIY retailer last week launched Home Show 06, with brand-sponsored demos in 1,000 stores nationally and celebrity clinics in 20 stores. The expo is a first for Home Depot, a revved-up version of the in-store classes and events it has traditionally used to drive store traffic.

Home Show 06 activities center on innovative home products, including LG SteamWasher laundry system, GE Profile SmartDispense dishwasher, Thomasville Cabinetry door inserts, odor-resistant Puresque carpeting and n:vision CFL light bulbs. Some of the products are exclusive to Home Depot.

Three TV hosts from home-improvement shows on The Learning Channel will host in-store clinics in 20 stores: Leslie Segrete (Trading Spaces and While You Were Out), Andrew Dan Jumbo (While You Were Out) and Hildi Santo-Tomas (Trading Spaces).

Home Depot coordinated the promotion in-house; manufacturers execute clinics and demos themselves. The campaign runs through Sept. 24, with TV, direct-mail and print ad support.

Atlanta-based Home Depot came up with the idea a year ago, based on shoppers' requests for a showcase of new products. Home Depot called its vendors and invited them to host in-store clinics and demos. Participants jumped at the chance to boost their visibility in-store, said Home Depot spokesperson Jean Osta Niemi.

"We challenged our suppliers, our stores and our product merchants to source the marketplace for the very best innovations in home improvement products, and we are proud to present to our customers what is perhaps the largest single concentration of cutting-edge solutions for their homes," said President-CEO Bob Nardelli in a statement.

The Home Show 06 brings new twists to HomeDepot.com, too. The site also hosts real-time, online versions of a popular in-store clinic: Viewers can log into "Bellagio Faux Painting—Prep and Technique" on Sept. 14 and 21 at 8:30 p.m. (ET). The live sessions—a first for Home Depot—gives participants a range of interactivity, including online chats with an expert throughout some sessions, and call-ins answered over the phone by workshop hosts.

A virtual tour on the site lets consumers see featured products in a household setting; viewers mouse over highlighted items to get more info or a video demonstration. Consumers can create an automated shopping list, or buy directly from the site.

Separately, Home Depot and MasterCard broke a joint sweepstakes last week, dangling a $100,000 kitchen makeover.

The $100,000 Dream Kitchen Makeover sweeps gives MasterCard cardholders an automatic entry each time they use their card at Home Depot or HomeDepot.com—and two entries when they use a Home Depot Rewards MasterCard or Home Depot Business Rewards MasterCard.

MasterCard supports the sweeps with radio, print and online ads as well as P-O-P in stores. The sweeps runs through October.

The promotion helps launch the co-branded affinity cards, a first for Home Depot. The cards, issued by Citi Cards, bowed on Aug. 25. Cardholders earn two points for every dollar spent at Home Depot, and one point for each dollar spent elsewhere. Points can be redeemed for Home Depot gift cards. MasterCard is giving new cardholders 2,500 points with their first purchase—enough for a $25 gift card.

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