Article Number : 3608 |
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| Date | 9/4/2008 8:08:08 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3608 |
| Abstract | ANAHEIM, CALIF.—In its continuing effort to help drive traffic into retail stores by showcasing the positive benefits of flooring to consumers, the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) has partnered with another one of the country’s leading media powerhouses... |
| Article | ANAHEIM, CALIF.—In its continuing effort to help drive traffic into retail stores by showcasing the positive benefits of flooring to consumers, the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) has partnered with another one of the country’s leading media powerhouses. Christopher Davis, WFCA’s president and CEO, said the organization has teamed up with Discovery Communications, the world’s number one nonfiction media company, to produce an eight-minute segment dedicated to eco-friendly flooring. The spot will be broadcast on a number of the company’s national TV channels including The Learning Channel’s (TLC) “Designing Spaces” cable program. The piece is slated to debut nationally on Sept. 5 on the WE Channel at 8:30 a.m. and again on Sept. 6 on TLC at 8 a.m. (both times are EST). In total, the program will air 20 times throughout the remainder of the year and into 2009. The segment is expected to reach nearly four million target consumers. “Discovery Communications is a broadcast industry leader with unparalleled audience reach across the globe,” Davis said, “and ‘Designing Spaces’ has been a fixture on Discovery’s The Learning Channel for a number of years and has one of the strongest track records in home improvement programming history.” TLC, Davis noted, is one of the 15 most widely distributed cable networks in the U.S. “It consists of popular programming genres, including lifestyle, fashion, real estate, makeovers, babies, weddings, families and relationships—all targeting adults 18 to 49, particularly women.” The half-hour “Designing Spaces” series has been on air for over six years. Each episode explores various ideas, from flea market finds to fine fashion furnishings. Viewers learn how to achieve their fantasy style with advice from renowned leaders in the design, hardware, architecture, housewares and real estate industries. The WFCA segment is hosted by design expert and Creating Your Space executive Kerry Davis, who has over 15 years experience in the flooring industry and is the spokesperson for the WFCA on design issues—she fields flooring and design questions and provides helpful flooring advice in “Ask Kerry” which is featured on wfca.org. She is also a frequent guest speaker at Surfaces, Coverings and the Pacific Coast Builder’s Conference, in addition to regular appearances on “Designing Spaces.” Focus on green flooring In the segment, she defines the specifics of green flooring, what makes a product eco-friendly, the environmental footprint a product leaves from the time and place it is sourced to installation, as well as representative green products from every flooring category, among other topics. WFCA’s Davis noted member manufacturers from across the flooring spectrum were given opportunities for national exposure. Everyone from cork companies to green carpet mills were called upon to provide product samples, images and information to help illustrate and support the piece. Some of the mills that participated include Armstrong, Natural Cork, Shaw, Unique and US Floors. The segment was taped just outside Los Angeles in late June, he added, and “has been deemed a tremendous success by show producers and executives alike. “As far as we’re concerned,” Davis explained, “we’ve successfully married the very best in home show broadcast with our own tremendously talented Kerry Davis to bring consumers across the country high-quality, informative programming about flooring, plus alert consumers about our www.wfca.org Web site as the unbiased source for flooring information. We’re certain that audiences will embrace both Kerry and the new program.” While this is the only segment in the books for right now, he noted, because of how well the overall production went as well as the media power of Discovery, “there may be other opportunities in the future.” Owned by Discovery Holding Co., Discovery Communications reaches more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks .com. This is the second high-profile partnership the industry’s leading retail organization has entered into in the past year. In December, WFCA teamed with Meredith Corp., the second largest publisher in the world, on a national advertising campaign slated to reach over 22 million consumers (FCNews, Dec. 24/31). Earlier this summer, it expanded that partnership with an arrangement to have Meredith’s Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Media Group publish an annual magazine just about flooring (FCNews, June 2/9). The overall purpose of these initiatives, Davis concluded, is to not just drive traffic into retail stores but give consumers an unbiased education about all types of flooring while reinforcing the positive feelings that come with selecting the right product for their decorating and lifestyle needs. For more information on the WFCA, please call 800.624.6880. |