Hicksville, N.Y.—School is back in session
and that can mean one thing: Parents have more free time during the day to do
what they enjoy most, shop. That’s right, the beginning of school also marks
the start of what is typically one of the busier times of the year for retailers,
the fall selling season. And, even in these tough and uncertain economic times,
many of the industry’s largest manufacturers and suppliers are once again
stepping up to the plate with advertising and marketing campaigns designed to
help drive traffic into retail stores.
While most of the initiatives are already
under way, some are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks. Some programs offer
dealers and their salespeople rewards, such as cash and exotic vacations, for
selling a certain amount of a particular product; others honor consumers with
rebates, while others are designed to support retailers’ local advertising and
marketing efforts through a national campaign Regardless of when they begin or
what type of promotion a company is doing the end result is the same, noted Bill
Clossin, vice president of marketing for Harris Tarkett: “To create excitement
among consumers, retailers and salespeople. For Harris Tarkett, we want our
retailers to discover the distinctive styling, species, color choices and
constructions now available in our line and we want to reward them for each
sale.
Gary Johnston, marketing brand communications
manager for DuPont Textiles & Interiors (DTI), added, on the end user level,
these type of campaigns are about “driving consumers to retail flooring
centers.” Unfortunately, space does not permit us from publishing what every
company is doing this fall. The following is a brief list (in alphabetical
order) of the promotions and campaigns that some of the industry’s largest
companies are doing to support their distributors and dealers this season.
• Armstrong World Industries. A number of
different programs are under way through the mill’s resilient, laminate and
hardwood divisions. In laminate, dealers can earn $25 for each job of Classics,
Origins and Nature’s Gallery sold. On the resilient side, there is something
for just about everyone. For linoleum salespeople Armstrong is doubling the
incentive for jobs sold during the promotion. Dealers participating in the
company’s Interflex or 18X24-in. automatic sample program can earn cash spiffs
of $15 and $25 depending on the product sold. Retailers involved in
Armstrong’s Main Street automatic sample plan can receive $25 per qualifying
job sold. For more information about these promotions, which run through Sept.
30, call 717/397-0611.
On the hardwood side, Armstrong Wood Products
(AWP) is running fall promotions with each of its three brands—Bruce, Hartco
and Robbins. Each promotion runs through Oct. 31 and each rewards dealers with
$3 for each carton of qualifying products sold. Retailers eligible to
participate include Bruce Master Show-case, Hartco Elite and Robbins Regency.
For more about AWP’s incentives, call 214/887-2000.
• Congoleum. Dealers participating in the
resilient mill’s Cash Call sweepstakes can not only win a grand prize of
$100,000, more than $50,000 worth of other prizes await them. In addition to the
$100,000 grand prize, dealers can win luxury vacations such as a trip to Hawaii
or a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II. These prizes will be awarded during a
special grand prize drawing which will take place after the promotional period.
During the promotion, which runs through Oct. 31, retailers will receive a
special scratch ticket for a chance to win anything from a pint of ice cream to
$5,000. All tickets are a guaranteed winner. For more information, call
Congoleum at 609/584-3000.
• DuPont. The fiber producer has instituted
a two-pronged fall campaign, each aimed at driving consumers into retail stores.
The first is a nationwide advertising program in shelter, home enthusiasts and
women’s publications as well as national TV and cable stations, including a
52-week Bob Vila sponsorship. The second part offers dealers the opportunity to
reward consumers with a three-day, two-night getaway vacation package valued at
more than $1,000 if they purchase a specified amount of DuPont Stainmaster Ultra
Life carpet. For more information on the Fall Get-away Promotion, call
800/966-6797.
• Harris Tarkett. The wood division of Domco
Tarkett has launched “Discover the World of Harris Tarkett, One Foot at a
Time,” which runs through Oct. 31. Sales personnel can earn 20 cents per
square foot on the sale of products the mill introduced between the spring of
2001 and spring of 2002. To learn more, call 800/842-7816.
• Honeywell. The maker of Anso nylon is
offering dealers numerous ways to earn cash and prizes, including special offers
through select carpet mills. In addition, its “Pump Up Your Sales
Sweepstakes” and “Anso Nylon National Carpet Sale” each continue to run
through Oct. 19. These promotions allow retailers to earn cash and other prizes.
In addition, a consumer advertising campaign offers one-year no payment deferred
interest, along with other co-op advertising opportunities ( FCNews, Aug. 5/12).
For complete details of Honeywell’s initiatives, call 800/342-3787.
• Mannington Mills. While the mill is
offering salespeople a spiff on its resilient, wood and laminate products,
Mannington is hoping to drive consumers into stores with a special financing
offer that includes zero down, zero interest and zero payments for one full
year. Call Mannington at 609/935-3000.
• Mohawk Industries. The world’s largest
seller of floor coverings is offering four distinct fall promotions: “Get
Warmed Up with Mohawk Hard Surface,” “Mohawk Quick Takes V,” “Mohawk
Bear Essentials” and “Decorate for the Cure.” The hard surface program
runs through Sept. 15, and offers salespeople incentives for selling select jobs
of Mohawk wood, laminate and Congoleum vinyl. In addition, points can be earned
toward winter-type gifts. Through Sept. 30, owners can earn rewards for
purchases of select rolls of Solutia Wear-Dated II, Honeywell Anso or DuPont
Stainmaster styles in the Quick Takes V promotion. From now through Oct. 31, the
Bear Essentials incentive rewards dealers for purchases of Mohawk’s WundaWeve
styles made with Honeywell’s Anso fiber. A $25 American Express Gift Check for
each qualifying purchase will be given out. Plus, every 15 days the company will
give away a Phillips 36-in. Real Flat TV. At the end of the campaign, Mohawk
will draw for a seven-night Alaskan cruise for two. In addition to selling
qualifying carpets, salespeople can earn bonus entries in the sweepstakes
through a variety of methods. Finally, from Sept. 23 to Nov. 15, for every
eligible roll of carpet sold, Mohawk will contribute 10 cents per square yard to
the Susan G. Komen cure for breast cancer Foundation. For more information on
any of these promotions, including which products qualify for each incentive,
call Mohawk at 800/241-4900.
• Shaw Industries. The world’s largest
carpet manufacturer is finishing up its “A Midsummer Selling Dream” event on
Sept. 7. Dealers can qualify for rebates of $3 and $5 per carton depending on
the type of product sold during the promotional period. To learn which products
qualify and how to get involved before time runs out, call Shaw at 800/441-7429.
• Solutia. The maker of Wear-Dated II nylon
is launching a comprehensive national advertising campaign in addition to the
incentives it is doing with carpet mills. Full page color ads will be appearing
in some of the country’s most read publications and will feature Solutia’s
enhanced Wear-Dated logo. Dealers wishing to tie into the national campaign can
take advantage with a co-op support kit that features an array of in-store
marketing materials and tie-in newspaper ads along with two 30-second TV
commercials. For more information, call 770/951-7600.
• Witex. The hard surface manufacturer has
launched a comprehensive program that awards dealers and their salespeople
numerous spiffs all Witex products, except entry level goods. For more
information, call 800/948-3987.
