In advertising terms, the ad is referred to as a "cover wrap." Many from The NEWS' Contractor Consultants referred to the ad as "a grabber."

"I liked it," agreed consultant Arthur Pickett of Royal Air Systems. "It was right there for you to see and read. It had a pretty picture."

"It is a most impressive ad," acknowledged fellow consultant Aaron York.

The powers-that-be at Honeywell succeeded in making a splash for its good-better-best thermostats, noting that the company has "one brand for every application, every budget, and every customer."

"It is difficult to top Honeywell's decades of experience, and our place in millions of homes and buildings," noted the company in its "Thermostat Leader" brochure. "We make the world more comfortable. Today's consumers demand much more from their home comfort controls than they did a half century ago, and Honeywell technology is still the benchmark."

According to the winning ad and information provided by Honeywell, the VisionPRO 8000 is its top-of-the-line model, as it has a touchscreen, plus seven-day programmable function. Ranked right behind are its FocusPRO 6000 and FocusPRO 5000 models. The former is a 5-1-1 day programmable thermostat, while the latter is a digital, non-programmable thermostat.

"Contractors have told us that they feel comfortable offering FocusPRO because of its simplicity and its brand name," said Pat Tessier, product manager. "Honeywell has been a leader in home comfort for decades and it's a name customers trust."

Also featured in the ad are the PRO 4000 (programmable) and the PRO 3000 (nonprogrammable) basic thermostats, also equipped with easy-to-read digital displays. The PRO 4000 is designed for 5-2 programming and has simple, pull-out programming and operations instructions.

For more information, visit www.hotfreshcool.com.

Publication date: 12/12/2005