Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford, the nationally syndicated, Emmy-nominated home improvement TV show, joins the “20-year” club this season, reaching 1.5 million weekly viewers as the #1 syndicated home improvement show in the United States. Today’s Homeowner’s sweeping success and lasting presence can be attributed to its host and leader, Danny Lipford, the face and brains behind the fresh, practical and trusted home improvement advice.
A Small Local Start for a Global Household Name
Today’s Homeowner started in 1988 with a small, local cable TV show, but the audience quickly grew thanks to Danny’s natural on-camera presence and his honest, straightforward advice. The success of the television show inspired further growth for the brand, which now reaches far and wide with its nationally syndicated Today’s Homeowner radio show, TodaysHomewoner,com, its destination website drawing nearly 2 million unique monthly viewers and 3 million page views, its popular YouTube channel, and a burgeoning social media presence on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.
Danny’s extensive experience with home maintenance and home improvement has made he a trusted resource for sharing practical advice to novices and professionals alike. He attributes his success to one basic principle: “It’s very rare that anyone stays on national television for 20 years. We’ve done it by being able to listen well to what our audiences and advertisers want to see and hear.”
Product Integration
Listening to viewers and sponsors has led to great collaborative programs and events for the brand. One particularly successful campaign has been the annual contest where viewers can enter to “Win Danny & His Crew for a Day”.
“The question I get most often is ‘How can I get you to my house?’” Danny tells us. A few years ago, Danny and his team created a contest to do just that. “People send in requests for us to come to their house with a description of the small annoying things they deal with at their home,” Danny explains. “We go to the winning home and we have a lot of fun for a couple of days as we knock out a lot of the little things on their list. We include up to three sponsors in the contest and use their products as part of the the renovation.”
This is a great win not only for audiences, but a huge opportunity for sponsors as well. “Not only can the sponsor benefit from being associated with the Today’s Homeowner brand, but also from the integration in the program. It’s a great follow-through from hearing about the contest, seeing it be awarded, and seeing the products being used and appreciated in the actual renovation work.”
Not all potential sponsors make it into the show, however. Danny selects the products he recommends with great care. “I have to turn some sponsors down,” he admits sadly. “There are some products and companies I don’t feel good about recommending. I hate to tell anyone ‘no’ but it has to be a product that I can believe in.” Products that make it onto the show are a big hit with viewers and have the potential to become long-lasting partners with Today’s Homeowner across all media platforms. “Our partners realize that it’s not just a one-shot deal , but one that can build on itself year after year,” he explains.
He points out that sponsors benefit from significant momentum as the editorial team creates inregrated cotent and distributes it seamlessly across all of the Today’s Homeowner platforms, including TV, radio, web, satellite and social.“The research has been significant showing the extreme engagement across all platforms and the recognition of the integrity of the brand.”
Continuing Dedication to Community Service
Today’s Homeowner has a long history of giving back to the community. For its 20th anniversary, Danny and his crew are continuing to show their appreciation and gratitude to their supporters and the community at large with several ongoing service projects across the country. He and his team are presenting an opportunity for sponsors to get involved with the projects not only to present their brands to his audience, but to demonstrate their own advocacy for community service and involvement in helping others.
The Next 20 Years
Danny is grateful to his audiences for their loyalty and enthusiastic response for the past 20 years and counting. “We have something for everyone because the interest in home improvement has never been stronger than it is right now. We address a lot of age groups and consumption rates,” Danny says. Our lifestyle web series and blog, Checking in with Chelsea, is a great example of how the brand is reaching the popular and sought-after millennial audience.
“We have something for everyone because the interest in home improvement has never been stronger than it is right now.” — Danny Lipford, Today’s Homeowner
Today’s Homeowner is building on the momentum of being on more television and radio stations than ever before as well as a fast-growing web and social audience“We don’t want to post any content on Facebook or Pinterest, we want to position the right content at the right time on the right platforms to engage our followers ,” Danny explains. “The content generation machine we have fuels everything, and everything we publish or broadcast must of it pass through our quality filter to ensure accuracy, authenticity and its benefit to our audience.
As for the future, Danny and his team are optimistic about what Today’s Homeowner will look like tomorrow and beyond. “We have listened very well to what consumers want and we have listened well to where the industry is leading,” Danny points out. “Our mission keeps us grounded in our day-to-day purpose and direction, and helps us run the marathon, instead of burning out with a sprint. Today’s Homeowner will continue to be a leader in the media and home improvement industry and achieve success for many years to come.”
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