The Home Depot
SOC3 Client Project
As part of SOC3, an in-house agency within American University's School of Communication, our team partnered with The Home Depot to develop a strategic campaign centered around one of its key focus areas: sustainability. Over the course of the Fall 2023 semester, we researched, developed, and delivered a creative platform and campaign concept that aligned with The Home Depot’s brand while appealing to Gen Z audiences through storytelling, design, and digital strategy.
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I worked as a strategist and creative contributor on the team, helping shape campaign messaging and develop visual assets that emphasized sustainability in an engaging and authentic way. I collaborated on the creation of our final Google Site deliverable, supported the narrative behind our proposal, and helped align the campaign with The Home Depot’s tone and values while making it resonate with a younger, purpose-driven audience.
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The Home Depot sought to enhance its reputation as a sustainability leader while fostering a deeper connection with Gen Z consumers. Our challenge was to bring their sustainability initiatives to life in a way that felt relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This required rethinking how environmental impact could be communicated beyond corporate messaging and instead through storytelling.
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Our strategy began with audience research, looking at Gen Z values, media behaviors, and expectations from brands when it comes to sustainability. We found that authenticity, community engagement, and real-world impact were crucial for gaining trust. We also looked at how consumers viewed the brand and learned that sustainability and innovation are not areas that customers and employees associate The Home Depot with. From there, we developed a creative framework rooted in the idea that sustainability is not just a corporate value, but a collaborative movement.
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We explored how The Home Depot could spotlight sustainability not just through facts and figures, but through stories of student change makers and actionable impact. Our creative direction emphasized bold design, clear messaging, and an empowering tone—positioning The Home Depot as a partner in progress rather than just a product provider.
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To present our work, we designed a Google Site that housed our full creative vision and recommendations, and a slide deck tailored to the client’s internal stakeholders. We proposed a campaign concept that combined social storytelling, student ambassador activations, and visually compelling creative to foster deeper brand engagement. From copy to design, the assets we delivered were crafted to speak directly to Gen Z audiences, reinforcing The Home Depot’s commitment to sustainability while sparking curiosity, conversation, and action.
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Our campaign concept was well-received by The Home Depot team, who praised its clarity, creativity, and strategic alignment with their sustainability goals. Even telling us that “this is something we can implement tomorrow!” The visual identity and student-led storytelling approach provided a replicable model for future engagement efforts. Beyond the final presentation, the project also provided a real-world opportunity to collaborate with a Fortune 500 brand, gaining experience in client communication, brand alignment, and cross-functional teamwork in a fast-paced, agency-style setting.
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This project taught me how to balance creative thinking with client needs in a professional setting. Working with The Home Depot challenged me to translate sustainability into compelling content that could drive both awareness and action. If given more time, I would have loved to test our campaign with live student feedback or explore how to integrate influencer or partnership strategies at scale.