The star of the HGTV “2022 Dream Home Giveaway” was not just the luxurious modern mountain cabin located. Enviable star power was also found in what was situated outside the house: a stunning Graphite Grey “Limitless 26” composite fiberglass swimming pool built by Leisure Pools and installed by Leisure World Pools. This stunning installation was the perfect complement to this one-of-a-kind retreat featured within the sweepstakes as the grand prize.
Incorporating a swimming pool into their home giveaways is not something the HGTV media network traditionally offers. However, they may be changing their stance, as they received over 142.3 million entries, which was 4% higher than their previous year. Further, their website views were up more than 5%, reaching a phenomenal 976.8 million!
Undoubtedly, the biggest reason for this uptick was the result of the exceptional installation work done by the Leisure World Pools team, led by owner/ operator Tod Bessery. The team started working on this project in May of 2021 with the work continuing into late fall. During this time the team also incorporated Belgard pavers and other upscale elements to enhance the patio environment. Further, as part of the arrangement, an automatic swimming pool safety cover from Integra Pool Covers was added to the pool’s sweepstakes package.
This partnership almost never happened, however. When the network first approached Bessery with the concept, they ran into the same problem many consumers ran into last year: there were no pools in stock. To add to the dilemma, there was a substantial waiting period for any new pools.
HGTV’s research reported viewers preferred to stay at home and create a special backyard oasis due to the effects of the pandemic, which meant those viewers wanted to see a swimming pool featured in the home giveaway contests. HGTV’s production team called numerous local pool installers, as well as a variety of swimming pool manufacturers, but continually came up empty-handed.
Fortunately, HGTV remembered one of the world’s largest swimming pool manufacturers is located right down the street from them. Coincidentally, HGTV’s parent company, Discovery Communications, is also based in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a result, they coordinated numerous conversations with our marketing team in the past. Their producers contacted Explore Industries’ Chief Marketing Officer, Alex Gonzalez, and explained their predicament.
HGTV’s primary inquiry presented to Alex was, “Can you get a pool for us?” Sensing the urgent desire of this request, Gonzalez operated on full throttle and began dialing numbers and negotiating production schedules with our manufacturing team and with various dealers to see if they could possibly make some adjustments on when they would accept their own pools. The amazing result? Our team worked tirelessly to find the pool HGTV wanted – a “Limitless 26” that could be installed by the fall of 2021.
To add to the excitement, HGTV paid for the swimming pool. That is typically not a common offer under such circumstances. Instead, media companies may pay a reduced fee or engage in some sort of trade deal where media exposure is traded for a significantly reduced price. In this particular case, however, Leisure Pools negotiated a full price for Leisure World Pools while still enjoying the high-profile stage to showcase this amazing pool.
The marketing team at Explore Industries is currently negotiating with the HGTV team to see what pool and safety cover can be incorporated into their next big giveaway. While one lucky family may be a winner this year with their new swimming pool from Leisure Pools, everyone at Explore Industries is the true winner as more families see the beauty of our amazing products featured on their television screens and perhaps even visualizing how they can be the next winner of the HGTV “Dream Home.”
