B&Q: Build a Life campaign

Category: Integrated Advertising; Entered by: Uncommon Creative Studio

Uncommon Creative Studio created the Build a Life campaign with the intention of revitalising perceptions of the B&Q brand. B&Q first opened in the UK in 1969 with the intention of encouraging regular people – not just builders – to believe they had the capacity for home improvement. By 2019, when the brand began working with Uncommon, B&Q was a firm part of the UK retail landscape but its connection to real people had gone. With this campaign, the aim was to bring this emotional link back.  

To do this, Uncommon created a TV spot featuring real people working on their homes. Home improvement has traditionally been seen as a category of chores, but in this ad, DIY is elevated from ‘fixing’ to ‘creating’. The ad also struck an emotional chord by demonstrating how improving things at home also improves our lives. 

Accompanying the spot was a series of elegant poster ads, and the Build a Life campaign idea is also being used across B&Q’s editorial, social content and PR.

Client: B&Q
Creative Studio: Uncommon