The deal entails Black and Decker supplying all power tools to four couples that participate in a televised renovation race on four separate apartments.
Black & Decker has also used the show to launch its new advertising campaign, taking out one slot in each show to promote a different tool every week.
The innovative move saw Black & Decker reach an initial two million-plus viewers on the Nine Network across Australia's five capital cities on the show's first Sunday night - a significant 100,000 more than Nine's flagship Sunday show, 60 Minutes. The show pulled in more than 700,000 viewers in Melbourne, beating Seven's Australia's Worst Driver and Ten's Big Brother. The one-hour show managed to penetrate more than 22 per cent of the market in some areas.
The deal was organised by Black & Decker's creative agency Leo Burnett and media shop Starcom. Burnett account director Robb Hittner described the advertising slots as vignettes, which highlighted the features and benefits of Black and Decker's new tool range. A personality in the building industry, Matt Langford stars in the ads, which are styled as an infomercial.
Hittner said the package with Nine had been on the drawing board since the start of the year. "We liked the sound of the show because it was about four couples in their 30s who were renovating and that's where we position our tools," Hittner said.
"Black & Decker donated all the tools and they're very much involved in the digital production and showed the couples how to use the tools."
Burnett has prepared a bank of nine advertisements to run throughout the series.
Other advertisers have also annexed themselves to the show, including furniture retailer Freedom which has bought in-show credits, in-store tie-ins and web links.