Unilever and Corus Entertainment have joined forces in-store and on-screen to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that provides housing for families in need.

In a promo devised and executed by Vickers & Benson Arnold’s Toronto-based divisions, Warwick PR and Arnold Brand Promotions, Unilever will be donating 50 cents to the charity for every bottle of Vim household cleaner purchased during the month of June.

‘We wanted to create a program that would be tied to community values and provide a platform to demonstrate Vim’s versatility,’ says Sandra Chiovitti, account supervisor at Warwick PR.

On-screen advertising will be featured throughout May and June on Corus’s W network (formerly WTN) during the home improvement series Anything I Can Do. Show host Mag Ruffman will be encouraging viewers to support the ‘Vim Home’ program by purchasing Vim. Purchasers are also enticed with on-shelf coupons for a 50-cent discount off Vim products during the promo.

Unilever hopes to raise sufficient funds to sponsor the development of two houses, one in Ontario and one in Quebec. During the coming episodes of Anything I Can Do, Unilever employees will be featured working alongside the host to build the first ‘Vim Home.’ Vim will also benefit from product placement during the shows.

‘We were looking for an opportunity to exploit our position as a home-enjoyment brand,’ says Ian Gordon, director of home care at Unilever. He hopes that product sales will receive a boost and the image of the Vim brand will be enhanced through this promo that marks the start of a long-running partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

The promo will also be advertised on wnetwork.com and through extensive TV advertising created by Arnold Brand Promotions. Print advertising created by Reader’s Digest will be running in the publication’s English and French versions throughout the summer. And a free-standing ad insert, created by Warwick PR, will run in national newspapers on May 11, making use of Vim’s tagline: ‘Because your home is for living, not just for cleaning.’