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Residential FlooringCarpet and Rugs

The Rhino Returns for Mohawk's 2023 SmartStrand Brand Activation

By Tanja Kern, Beth Miller
Rhinory Crowd.jpg

More than 20 flooring retailers met at Rhinory, a 55-acre ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, to meet the 4,000-pound star of the latest SmartStrand carpet campaign, Blake the rhino. Photo: Floor Trends. 

Rhinory Blake.jpg

The Rhinory's goal is to provide an experience where people can experience rhinos in an environment much more personal than a zoo, drink wine in a beautiful setting, and help rhino conservation. Photo: Floor Trends. 

Rhinory Crowd.jpg
Rhinory Blake.jpg
April 12, 2023

Top flooring retailers from across North America met at a 55-acre ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, for Mohawk’s latest SmartStrand carpet brand activation.

“2023 is the year we bring the rhino back,” said Jeff Meadows, president of residential sales, Mohawk. 

The flooring manufacturer installed SmartStrand carpet in a barn at the Rhinory, where wines and a 4,000-pound white rhinoceros named Blake team up for rhino conservation.

“Our focus is on world-class wines and rhino conservation, allowing you to sip while enjoying the majestic beauty of the second largest land animal on Earth,” said Craig Stevens, owner of the Rhinory. 

Blake lived his best life on SmartStrand carpet for two weeks while Mohawk’s marketing team documented the entire process—from installation to cleanup. 

“It was the highest traffic area of his barn, so he spent a lot of time there—slept on it, walked on it—up to 16 hours a day,” said Denise Silbert, vice president of marketing, Mohawk. 

The goal of the campaign is to illustrate the durability and cleanability of SmartStrand carpet so that flooring retailers can share the story with consumers and increase carpet sales. The brand activation gave retailers a first look at campaign messaging and in-store displays.

“Everything ties back to making SmartStrand a success and to help your business grow,” Silbert told retailers.  

“I am very impressed with Mohawk and how they tie in nature to the fiber and to the consumer,” said Doug Chadderon, president of Great Floors, which serves the Northwest United States through 21 locations. “I’m an old rug peddler—I wouldn’t think of this, but it resonates with a younger audience, a smarter audience that really does care about the environment.”

See a sneak peek of Rhinory here. 

KEYWORDS: flooring manufacturers marketing and sales Mohawk Industries Stain-resistant Carpet technology

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Tanja kern headshot 2023

Tanja Kern is the associate publisher and editorial director of FLOOR Trends & Installation. She is also the host of the FLOORtalk podcast, where she explores the changes and challenges facing the flooring community's thought leaders and creatives. Tanja has been writing about business, design, and lifestyle for two decades, and her work has appeared in publications such as American Way, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Interiors, Fodor's, Food Channel, CA Modern, Chicago, Fine Interiors, and Los Angeles.

Beth miller authors

Beth Miller began her journalistic journey in 2005 while still working as a mechanic in her dad’s garage. She has written about everything from artists to WWII veterans and in 2010 stepped into the healthcare sector where she created digital content for 11 years. She, then, received her master’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In 2017, she took the leap into the flooring industry. Here, she has discovered a place where she can apply both her technical and journalistic abilities.

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