A fresh coat of branding for Valspar

As outdoor paint sales have dropped during the recession; interestingly, indoor paint sales have had a slight uptick in sales. In a cocooning effort, homeowners are holding on to their wallets by opting to repaint a wall or two instead of the whole home. Valspar decided that this was an opportunity to switch their branding focus from depicting itself as a DIY paint fit for Weekend Warriors to something with a little more "je ne sais quoi." Paint becomes an experience, an emotion and a way to connect more fully with one's self and one's walls.

The New York Times writes, 'What you see in almost every paint commercial is couples in blue jeans and flannel shirts holding rollers and going up and down on the wall and whistling while they work, and Valspar didn't need to go there,' said Steffan Postaer, chief creative officer at Euro RSCG Chicago. 'We don't show people painting walls, or interiors, or any of the kind of mundane aspects of the chore. It's more about the mind-space of the consumer ' we're talking to their imagination and emotions.'

By connecting with the brand on an experiential level, do you think they have a fighting chance at more grounded, less frills paint options? What in-store designs could they construct to keep this experience consistent within the local hardware store?