TEAM
Jillian Ball - AM/PM
Sofia Gurruchaga - Analytics
Katie Dowd - Strategy
Quang Nguyen - Media Planning
Juan Cotte Mena - Copywriting
ROLE
Art Direction & Design
TOOLS
Illustrator
Figma
After Effects
InDesign
TIMELINE
8 weeks
OVERVIEW
Renters are often left out of The Home Depot’s marketing, despite making up a huge portion of the Zillennial audience. This campaign reintroduces Phil the Bucket, a long-sidelined brand mascot, as a bold, humorous, and relatable “handy helper” to champion creative freedom for renters. His motto? Buck It.
CHALLENGE
Reimagine the relevance of The Home Depot to Gen Z and Millennials ages 25-35 in an era where homeownership is a luxury, not a milestone. Homeownership is being delayed, with the average first-time buyer now at age 38. Rising costs and strict rental agreements have left many feeling creatively restricted. INSIGHT: Renting isn’t a limitation — it’s an opportunity to create without boundaries. This mindset shift became the heart of the campaign, reframing renter life as a time to experiment, personalize, and explore new ideas.
SOLUTION
Renters get told “no” a lot — no painting, no drilling, no “making it your own.” Phil the Bucket is here to say… Buck It. We brought this lovable, slightly chaotic mascot out of the sidelines and gave him a new job: show renters that they don’t need a mortgage to make magic happen. From quick-fix DIYs to “why-not” décor hacks, Phil’s mission was simple — inspire people to bend the rules (just not their lease) and turn their rentals into real homes.
EXECUTION HIGHLIGHTS:
Mascot-led storytelling: Spotlight Phil the Bucket as a cheeky, encouraging personality who helps renters “buck” limitations.
Organic & Paid Social: Quick DIY hacks, renter-proof solutions, humorous Phil-led videos
App Integration: Chat with Phil for project guidance & perks
OOH & Experiential: Phil sightings in urban hubs + live giveaways
PHIND PHIL MINI GAME & SWAG BUCKET
Phind Phil is an in-store scavenger hunt designed to engage customers within Home Depot locations. A hidden Phil the Bucket plushie is placed somewhere in the store to be found and redeemed for a Swag Bucket filled with goodies, including stickers, a Phil keychain, a Home Depot coupon book, and a mini Home Depot bucket. As participants search for Phil, they naturally explore the store and discover the wide range of products Home Depot carries beyond traditional home improvement tools and materials (yes, they really do have slushie machines and egg cookers).
HOME DEPOT APP
While the current Home Depot app is fully functional, it looks and feels outdated. Drawing inspiration from shopping apps more popular with the Zillennial demographic, I redesigned the Home Depot UI to incorporate bolder visuals and interactive elements such as sliding carousels. I also retooled the AI feature, Magic Apron, and turned it into Phil AI and made it a permanent fixture in the menu bar to make it accessible anywhere in the app where it was previously only on the home screen. Phil's purpose as a "handy helper" is to be accessible and answer questions and assist with any home improvement or DIY project you may have.
