Article Number: 3523
Invista invokes secret of the lotus for new Stainmaster, National campaign supporting launch
By Matthew Spieler
KENNESAW, GA.—Since the time it first introduced Stainmaster in 1986, Invista knows all too well how groundbreaking technology supported by a powerful marketing program can spark life back into the industry. And with business conditions being what they are, the fiber supplier is once again taking the bull by the horns.
LotusFX Fiber Shield is the latest innovation to complement Stainmaster, and Invista is backing up the launch with a major national TV campaign designed to help retailers ring up sales for the fall season.
“We hope LotusFX and its supporting marketing campaign can help to rejuvenate the retail community and convert—or recommit—as many consumers as possible this fall,” said Linda Morin, Invista’s marketing communications manager.
In this tough economy, she added, the company has been investing in research and development “to provide valuable offerings to consumers who are wondering where to best spend their hard-earned dollar. Stainmaster with LotusFX Fiber Shield is our latest advancement.”
Invista feels LotusFX is such an advancement it made it a permanent part of the Stainmaster formulation, meaning every carpet using the branded fiber this fall will have the added benefit.
“There is no new equipment or anything for the mills,” explained Gary Johnston, Stainmaster brand director. “We’re just replacing the old chemistry with the new one. We started the conversion process with our partner mills in April.”
By Aug. 1, Invista planned on having every mill converted to the new formula so they could have products for the fall season. While LotusFX is a new advancement for the already popular Stainmaster brand, Johnston pointed out Invista is not charging the manufacturers more. “We are providing more value with Stainmaster fiber at the same cost as before. We see part of our role in the industry as bringing out innovation and high-quality products, and being a partner within the selling chain to drive business.”
Lotus effect
Playing off the “lotus effect” phenomena—even after emerging from mud, the leaves of the plant do not retain dirt when they unfold—Steve Griffith, Invista’s vice president of residential flooring, said the patented Fiber Shield technology has been in development for approximately two years. Koch Industries, Invista’s parent since 2004, “puts a great deal of emphasis on R&D.” So about two years ago, the company “upped” its R&D efforts on Stainmaster. The result is LotusFX Fiber Shield.
“In this particular case,” he explained, “we found we were not only getting better soiling protection but a more uniform fiber coverage. When we examined it under the microscope we found a microscopic textured surface—or nanotexture—was playing a part in the soil not adhering to the fiber and being more easily released.”
Griffith said the R&D team began to visualize “what we know and see when rain falls on a leaf—it beads off magically.”
This has come to be known as the lotus effect. In the mid 1970s, two European botanists Wilhelm Barthlott and Christoph Neinhuis, studied this property and, in 1975, discovered the reason for this self-cleansing effect. Prior to their research, the general opinion was the smoother a surface, the less dirt and water adhere to it. By using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) they discovered the surface of some lotus leaves were not smooth. The SEM showed a combination of nano- and microstructures that gave the surface a rough texture.
The explanation for the effect lies in two physical characteristics: the properties of these microstructures repel water, and the nanostructures found on top of the microstructures are made of waxy materials that are barely wettable. The combination of the chemistry, the ultra structures, and the adherence properties of dirt and water to the surface, is what Barthlott and Neinhuis named the lotus-effect.
So what exactly does Lotus- FX do? While Invista wants the product to have more real-life experience before making certain claims, Griffith said Stainmaster fibers “always had great anti-soiling performances.” But with the new finer and softer yarns LotusFX “improves on what was already a good thing.”
Beyond the ability to do what Stainmaster is known for— keeping carpets up to 30% cleaner and lasting up to 50% longer than other fibers—Morin said LotusFX has a reduced environmental footprint relative to incumbent chemistries. “And it comes without sacrificing the performance, beauty or comfort expected from Stainmaster.”
She explained the reduced environmental footprint comes from the new chemistry improving the efficiency of the fluorine compounds in Stainmaster carpets. “So our customers can achieve excellent performance while using 75% less fluorinated polymer. We are always trying to find ways to improve the environmental impact of our products, and LotusFX is the latest example. Our tests confirm that carpets treated with the new product perform as well as or more effectively than our previous soil resist technology.”
By using less chemicals, Morin noted, Invista feels LotusFX will “be a positive” to environmental standards, such as the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus and the ANSI NSF-140. “Our mill partners on the West Coast, which has some of, if not the toughest environmental regulations in the U.S., have had no problems incorporating the new Stainmaster into their production lines.
“We are proud to be one of the major players in the industry,” she added, along with many others, finding alternatives to progress in the area of improved environmental impact. The new formulation is an example of that progress.”
While the lotus effect describes a process, the lotus flower itself has, for thousands of years, symbolized spiritual enlightenment. The purpose of its essence is to accelerate spiritual evolvement and enhance healing on every level in the system.
Marketing bonanza
Invista officials are hoping that along with adding more value to the Stainmaster brand the multimillion dollar national TV advertising campaign it has developed to support LotusFX’ launch will enlighten consumers and help “heal” the wounds the entire industry has developed as a result of this tough economy.
This month Invista launched an ad campaign on national broadcast and cable TV and is expected to generate over 500 million consumer impressions. Commercials will be aired during the evening news of major networks such as ABC and CBS and the main cable news stations like CNN, as well as special interest cable channels—HGTV and TL, for example.
He said, “We did an extensive study to see what and where people are watching TV and what gets them engaged. There are some shows people are very engaged in, including the commercials. We designed this campaign to deliver the maximum return on that research.”
To support the TV campaign, Morin said Invista is actively engaging retailers with a detailed P-O-P kit. “We sent info to over 20,000 dealers for this. We haven’t done anything to this level before.”
In addition, she said Invista’s annual anniversary promotion will provide a “one-two punch to keep generating more traffic. We’re starting LotusFX a month early in preparation.”
Both the new Stainmaster and ad campaign are in line with what officials say is Invista’s goal: Find out what the consumer wants and needs and then deliver products that meet or exceed them.
Morin concluded, “Today’s consumer is seeking the best product she can at the best price. She’s not looking for the cheapest thing, rather she wants to invest her family’s hard-earned money into a quality product. Stainmaster has always provided that—now it does it even more.”
For more on LotusFX Fiber Shield or the consumer campaign, contact your local Invista territory manager or mill rep.
KENNESAW, GA.—Since the time it first introduced Stainmaster in 1986, Invista knows all too well how groundbreaking technology supported by a powerful marketing program can spark life back into the industry. And with business conditions being what they are, the fiber supplier is once again taking the bull by the horns.
LotusFX Fiber Shield is the latest innovation to complement Stainmaster, and Invista is backing up the launch with a major national TV campaign designed to help retailers ring up sales for the fall season.
“We hope LotusFX and its supporting marketing campaign can help to rejuvenate the retail community and convert—or recommit—as many consumers as possible this fall,” said Linda Morin, Invista’s marketing communications manager.
In this tough economy, she added, the company has been investing in research and development “to provide valuable offerings to consumers who are wondering where to best spend their hard-earned dollar. Stainmaster with LotusFX Fiber Shield is our latest advancement.”
Invista feels LotusFX is such an advancement it made it a permanent part of the Stainmaster formulation, meaning every carpet using the branded fiber this fall will have the added benefit.
“There is no new equipment or anything for the mills,” explained Gary Johnston, Stainmaster brand director. “We’re just replacing the old chemistry with the new one. We started the conversion process with our partner mills in April.”
By Aug. 1, Invista planned on having every mill converted to the new formula so they could have products for the fall season. While LotusFX is a new advancement for the already popular Stainmaster brand, Johnston pointed out Invista is not charging the manufacturers more. “We are providing more value with Stainmaster fiber at the same cost as before. We see part of our role in the industry as bringing out innovation and high-quality products, and being a partner within the selling chain to drive business.”
Lotus effect
Playing off the “lotus effect” phenomena—even after emerging from mud, the leaves of the plant do not retain dirt when they unfold—Steve Griffith, Invista’s vice president of residential flooring, said the patented Fiber Shield technology has been in development for approximately two years. Koch Industries, Invista’s parent since 2004, “puts a great deal of emphasis on R&D.” So about two years ago, the company “upped” its R&D efforts on Stainmaster. The result is LotusFX Fiber Shield.
“In this particular case,” he explained, “we found we were not only getting better soiling protection but a more uniform fiber coverage. When we examined it under the microscope we found a microscopic textured surface—or nanotexture—was playing a part in the soil not adhering to the fiber and being more easily released.”
Griffith said the R&D team began to visualize “what we know and see when rain falls on a leaf—it beads off magically.”
This has come to be known as the lotus effect. In the mid 1970s, two European botanists Wilhelm Barthlott and Christoph Neinhuis, studied this property and, in 1975, discovered the reason for this self-cleansing effect. Prior to their research, the general opinion was the smoother a surface, the less dirt and water adhere to it. By using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) they discovered the surface of some lotus leaves were not smooth. The SEM showed a combination of nano- and microstructures that gave the surface a rough texture.
The explanation for the effect lies in two physical characteristics: the properties of these microstructures repel water, and the nanostructures found on top of the microstructures are made of waxy materials that are barely wettable. The combination of the chemistry, the ultra structures, and the adherence properties of dirt and water to the surface, is what Barthlott and Neinhuis named the lotus-effect.
So what exactly does Lotus- FX do? While Invista wants the product to have more real-life experience before making certain claims, Griffith said Stainmaster fibers “always had great anti-soiling performances.” But with the new finer and softer yarns LotusFX “improves on what was already a good thing.”
Beyond the ability to do what Stainmaster is known for— keeping carpets up to 30% cleaner and lasting up to 50% longer than other fibers—Morin said LotusFX has a reduced environmental footprint relative to incumbent chemistries. “And it comes without sacrificing the performance, beauty or comfort expected from Stainmaster.”
She explained the reduced environmental footprint comes from the new chemistry improving the efficiency of the fluorine compounds in Stainmaster carpets. “So our customers can achieve excellent performance while using 75% less fluorinated polymer. We are always trying to find ways to improve the environmental impact of our products, and LotusFX is the latest example. Our tests confirm that carpets treated with the new product perform as well as or more effectively than our previous soil resist technology.”
By using less chemicals, Morin noted, Invista feels LotusFX will “be a positive” to environmental standards, such as the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus and the ANSI NSF-140. “Our mill partners on the West Coast, which has some of, if not the toughest environmental regulations in the U.S., have had no problems incorporating the new Stainmaster into their production lines.
“We are proud to be one of the major players in the industry,” she added, along with many others, finding alternatives to progress in the area of improved environmental impact. The new formulation is an example of that progress.”
While the lotus effect describes a process, the lotus flower itself has, for thousands of years, symbolized spiritual enlightenment. The purpose of its essence is to accelerate spiritual evolvement and enhance healing on every level in the system.
Marketing bonanza
Invista officials are hoping that along with adding more value to the Stainmaster brand the multimillion dollar national TV advertising campaign it has developed to support LotusFX’ launch will enlighten consumers and help “heal” the wounds the entire industry has developed as a result of this tough economy.
This month Invista launched an ad campaign on national broadcast and cable TV and is expected to generate over 500 million consumer impressions. Commercials will be aired during the evening news of major networks such as ABC and CBS and the main cable news stations like CNN, as well as special interest cable channels—HGTV and TL, for example.
He said, “We did an extensive study to see what and where people are watching TV and what gets them engaged. There are some shows people are very engaged in, including the commercials. We designed this campaign to deliver the maximum return on that research.”
To support the TV campaign, Morin said Invista is actively engaging retailers with a detailed P-O-P kit. “We sent info to over 20,000 dealers for this. We haven’t done anything to this level before.”
In addition, she said Invista’s annual anniversary promotion will provide a “one-two punch to keep generating more traffic. We’re starting LotusFX a month early in preparation.”
Both the new Stainmaster and ad campaign are in line with what officials say is Invista’s goal: Find out what the consumer wants and needs and then deliver products that meet or exceed them.
Morin concluded, “Today’s consumer is seeking the best product she can at the best price. She’s not looking for the cheapest thing, rather she wants to invest her family’s hard-earned money into a quality product. Stainmaster has always provided that—now it does it even more.”
For more on LotusFX Fiber Shield or the consumer campaign, contact your local Invista territory manager or mill rep.
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