Little Ricky Evans starred in what probably is the most famous flooring-related ad of all time.

By Louis Iannaco
Stainmaster carpet, which revolutionized the industry with its superior stain resistance when it was introduced in 1986, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Today, the Stainmaster brand has reached approximately 90% consumer awareness.

“For 20 years, Stainmaster carpet has been available to consumers with superior stain-resistant flooring options that are both stylish and durable,” said Steve Griffith, vice president of residential flooring for Invista. “Stainmaster carpet revolutionized the flooring industry with its stain and soil protection technology that keeps soil and liquids from attaching to carpet fibers, and allows most food and beverage stains to be easily removed with cleaning.

Today, the Stainmaster brand continues to lead in consumer brand recognition, style and fashion, product development and innovative advertising and marketing initiatives.”

Memorable Ads

During its introduction, Stainmaster carpet was featured in a series of memorable television spots developed by BBDO Worldwide, which featured a red-headed toddler hurdling food onto his parents’ Stainmaster carpet.

The spots highlighted the innovative stain-resistant properties of Stainmaster carpet, and targeted homeowners, particularly women, who are the primary decision-makers in purchasing carpet for their homes.

The successful advertising campaign reached 1.7 billion gross consumer impressions by the end of 1987.

Product innovations continue to improve the styling capabilities for Stainmaster products. Earlier this year, a new silk-like accent fiber was launched for use in Stainmaster carpet. It adds a subtle, silky luster to carpet, noted Griffith. Broadloom styles manufactured with this accent fiber mimic the look of natural fibers with the performance benefits of nylon. The new silk-like fiber was designed to complement the wool-like Tactesse nylon, introduced in 2001. Tactesse nylon makes carpet incredibly soft, while maintaining its durability. Stainmaster is also available with extra-body fiber, a carpet fiber that provides more luxury and thickness than carpets of similar construction.

“At our 20th anniversary year, we have reached an important milestone, and we are committed to continuing to build on the trust and satisfaction consumers have in the Stainmaster brand through technological advances and superior product performance, style and function,” said Griffith.

The target audience for Stainmaster carpet advertising is consumers seeking luxury upgrades. Recent TV advertising features attractive women on a fashion runway with the camera angle positioned from above, focusing on Stainmaster carpet. The print ads, a series of modern women featured against a background of vibrantly colored Stainmaster carpet, convey a strong fashion and style message while targeting the style-conscious consumer, he noted.

“The Stainmaster brand represents fashion, style and luxury with a futuristic twist because of the technology involved in manufacturing the carpet, furniture, flooring and rugs,” concluded Griffith. “These products were once in the easy-to-clean category in the mind of the consumer, but now these same categories are perceived as high fashion for the home because of the styling options from the manufacturer.”

For more on Stainmaster, call 770/792-4236.