ADVERTISING : New HomeBase Campaign Will Stress Employee Help for Do-It-Yourselfers

HomeBase’s Stickman used to tell TV viewers that home improvement projects are simple. Not so anymore.

The Irvine-based chain of do-it-yourself stores launched a campaign last week saying that it has hired experts and retrained its workers to help customers. The company’s employees, portrayed by actors and actresses, capably handle paint rollers and table saws.

One of the seven commercials shows a class filled with HomeBase “employees” learning how to serve their customers. They fix problems ranging from kids’ crayon art on the dining room wall to a fork stuck in the garbage disposal.

Created by Lord, Dentsu & Partners in Los Angeles, the $15-million campaign will begin airing in colder climates in mid-March. Spanish-language ads are scheduled to begin later in the month.

The Stickman campaign “had great awareness and was wonderful when we changed from Home Club to HomeBase,” said Dave Kenshol, vice president of marketing. “But it didn’t adequately communicate our strengths.”