Atomik Research were commissioned to conduct PR research by tradesperson recommendation service, Rated People. The research looked at DIY, specifically how much people are spending on it and the consequences of doing it wrong.
Key findings from the PR research included:
- The average DIY-er overspends by an average of £307
- 25% have asked to borrow money from friends after overspending on DIY
- 18% have resorted to borrowing money from a loan company
- 68% do not set any kind of budget for projects that are likely to cost more than £100
- 31% of us have had to put a home improvement project on hold after costs have risen
- 46% admit this is mainly due to materials being more expensive than expected
- 18% have put a complete stop to a project due to money completely running out
- 21% remain within budget
- 10% of us completely blow the budget
- 66% are dipping into our rainy day fund to complete the project
- 73% of Brits have rated their home improvement skills as basic
The research was part of a broadcast PR campaign created in conjunction with our parent company, 4media group, which consisted of research and broadcast PR elements. The broadcast day was fronted by presenter from the much loved DIY TV show ‘Ground Force’, Tommy Walsh, alongside Celia Francis from Rated People. Tommy was able to talk about the importance of setting out budgets when undertaking DIY/home improvement, and how we can possibly improve our DIY skills.
The campaign achieved 44 items of coverage across broadcast media. Highlights included Heart London, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio WM, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Newcastle, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and many more.
