Brand Power: As flooring retailers face competition from a variety of sources, the Mohawk brand builds consumer interest and confidence

Mohawk’s consumer ad campaign is making more than 1.2 BILLION impressions. See more at www.mohawkadv.com.


BC10: The 130-year-old Mohawk brand is older than Coca-Cola®, Disney®, and Hersheys®, and it makes a big impact with consumers.

In the mid-1990s, Mohawk began a carefully planned marketing effort designed to build the recognition and power of its brand among consumers. An aggressive consumer advertising program, coupled with co-branding strategies with dealers, enhanced the visibility of the Mohawk name. And Mohawk began extending its brand identity to include not just carpet, but other types of flooring as well.

The payoff: Studies show that Mohawk is one of the most recognized brands in the floorcovering industry. And Mohawk keeps working to make its brand value even stronger.

Mohawk’s 2006 consumer advertising campaign is using print and television to make more than 1.2 billion impressions targeted to floor covering shoppers across the nation.

The campaign includes ads in more than 30 magazines and on 11 national television networks. The value of this branding is critical.

“Our competition isn’t other floorcovering companies,” notes Tom Lape, President of Mohawk’s Residential Flooring Business Unit. “It’s electronics, furniture, cars, and other consumer goods. We have to be recognized as an important part of the consumer’s life for our dealers to get their fair share of consumers’ discretionary income.”

Studies show that the U.S. is undergoing the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world, as baby boomers inherit the estates of their parents. Boomers are spending this new wealth, too-on their homes. And they’re not going cheap.

Research shows that the average size of a home has increased more than 1,000 square feet in the last 20 years, and that today’s shoppers are looking for high quality, luxury items. They’re buying better flooring than ever before, and they’re excited about the design possibilities that the right flooring bring to their homes.

The challenge for the flooring business, is in being ready to capitalize on consumers’ willingness to buy. “For many stores, that’s going to require some innovation and reinvention, because the real profits in the business are in better quality merchandise,” Lape said. “It requires a different way of thinking about the business, and it requires reinventing the retail environment to compete with other industries who are also working hard to get consumers’ attention and money. We provide our dealers more tools than ever to go after this market, and we’re continually bringing more to the table. Branding is a very important tool.”

Want to see more about how branding builds business? Be sure to attend the Mohawk Regional Show in your area this winter. Ask your Mohawk rep for details.