The Home Depot | Activation Case Study

The Challenge

The Home Depot sought to develop strategic partnerships and activation ideas to increase brand awareness and engagement for its premier in-house carpet, Lifeproof with Petproof Technology.

Our target: active families with pets— specifically Millennial homeowners and retirees upgrading their homes. This audience was seeking stylish, child- and pet-friendly flooring that could complement any room and match their unique personal decor.

Our Strategy

We kicked off with a strategic planning phase where we established three Strategic Objectives to guide the scope and structure of potential collaborations:

1: A large scale event with broad reach and growing viewership/engagement to drive awareness, buzz and memorability.

2: Showcase the product in a more relevant context so pet parents could envision how it could fit in with their lifestyle.

3: Fun and memorable experiences where pet parents can experience the product firsthand.

Next, we connected with over 20 prospective partners, diving into opportunities and ideas before narrowing the list to those best aligned with The Home Depot’s goals.

To optimize partnership and activation opportunities, we vetted them through a strategic filter. This ensured ideas went beyond being stunty without impacting desired business goals.

Our Solution

Following the initial partnership research and strategy work, we entered into a partnership with the North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), the world’s largest and longest running no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization.

NSALA had a major activation on the horizon—their Tour for Life campaign (TFL). However, they had not had their mobile units on the road since the pandemic. With this partnership, they were able to dust off their vehicles and get them back on the road for TFL. Even better, 2025 would mark the tour’s 25th anniversary.

Lifeproof with Petproof Technology carpet signed on as the Premier Sponsor of this milestone event.

The Pawsitively Petproof Tour

Tour for Life’s two mobile units visited 67 cities and towns across 39 states, making it the world’s largest mobile pet adoption event. The campaign supported local shelters nationwide by helping them drive traffic and awareness.

At each stop, we brought our Pawsitively Petproof activation to life. We followed their mobile units to 17 cities across 14 states within The Home Depot’s priority markets. Over 170 THD stores were located within 30 miles of our activation stops, with many store associates attending the events.

For the tour, we created two Lifeproof carpet-branded companion mobile units (an Airstream and a Glass Truck). Both had interiors designed to resemble inviting living rooms. Potential new pet parents were invited on board to play with some adorable, adoptable pets and experience the carpet firsthand.

Engaging with Pet Parents

In addition to the vehicles, each stop featured a branded tent area staffed by brand ambassadors engaging with pet parents about Lifeproof carpet.

Educational materials included:

A handout with coupon and QR code driving to a carpet giveaway
A carpet demo
A video playing on the Airstream
Branded swag

The Results

Our 2025 partnership with North Shore Animal League America was more than a brand activation. It was a chance to help thousands of pets find loving homes while connecting with communities in a meaningful way. By joining Tour for Life, we brought Lifeproof’s values to life through real stories, local engagement, and a shared mission that left a lasting impact. Here's what we achieved together:

We followed North Shore Animal League’s Tour for Life, visiting 17 cities across 14 states (25% of the tour’s nationwide stops).
Over 170 Home Depot stores were within 30 miles of our activation stops, with many store associates attending the events.
North Shore Animal League America ensured there was Home Depot branding at all locations.
The campaign was promoted through 8 print publication ads secured by NSALA and 13 shelter partner print publication ads. The Lifeproof logo was included in paid advertising. Total reach for all print ads: 1.6 million.
NSALA’s social media strategy prominently featured Lifeproof branding, assets, and activation elements (Airstream and Glass Truck interior and exterior visuals), and tagged Lifeproof or ensured our logo appeared in Happy Adopter photos when our vehicles were not onsite.
In-studio segments were conducted, stories were run, and activation footage was captured on various news outlets throughout the course of the TFL campaign—including Good Morning America.
As a result of this partnership, we helped over 2,700 pets find their forever home.

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