Former racecar driver revs up biz
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated Wed November 6, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS - After pulling back from TV advertising about four years ago, Home Health Depot is once again on the local airwaves.
And this time around, it has help from former Indy racecar driver Sam Schmidt. Schmidt, who was paralyzed in a crash, is featured in the ads.
“He's a well-known guy in Indiana,” said Nathan Feltman, president. “He's a current team owner for the Indy 500, so he's often on the news.”
The 30-second ads, which started airing in October, help drive traffic to Home Health Depot's five main retail locations in Indiana, including two in Indianapolis.
The ads air on local NBC affiliates, and on cable channels like Fox News, The Weather Channel, and Home and Garden TV.
“We targeted more affluent areas with the cable ads and we targeted the potential users themselves and then also caregivers,” said Feltman.
The ads highlight stair lifts and lift chairs—higher ticket items that are typically paid for out of pocket.
“We didn't win any competitive bidding contracts, so our stores are going to be hit,” said Feltman.
Feltman says it takes three to six months to assess the return on investment of TV advertising, which he acknowledges is “not cheap.” Home Health Depot has a dedicated phone line associated with the ads to help it track the success of the campaign.
“In the past, we've found it to be a decent rate of return,” he said.
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