A husband and wife are shopping for wallpaper in one of those huge home centers when she realizes, "I don’t need big. I need someone who knows wallpaper." That’s one of the scenarios in a new radio commercial from Siperstein’s, a New Jersey-based home decorating chain that has shifted much of its advertising budget from newspapers to radio in order to distinguish itself from the large, multi-purpose home centers such as Home Depot.

"Radio is giving Siperstein’s a personality," says Ernie Fossa, partner at The GFS/Levinson Group, Siperstein’s ad agency. "It’s something they couldn’t get in newspaper ads." The target customer, Fossa adds, is adults, 25-54, with a male skew. In another of the creative executions, a husband tells a home center salesperson he’s looking for paint, and, "my wife wants it to be the same blue as this cup..." The store employee responds, "What do you think this is, Siperstein’s?"

The retailer had recently added some Connecticut locations to its New Jersey base, and this made the move to radio, combined with outdoor advertising, even more opportune. Siperstein’s, says Fossa, is only using newspapers on an insert basis, "to supplement heavy radio and outdoor. They’re 12 to 15 stations deep, taking advantage of weekend radio -- Friday thru Sunday.

"We looked at their competition in the market," Fossa continues, "and decided they could create awareness in radio." The campaign started the last week in March and will run through October. By early April, the creative was already breaking through with the message that, "If it has anything to do with wallpaper [not lawn mowers], paint [not plumbing] and window treatments [not the treatment], you’ll find it at Siperstein’s."