Business conditions vary, but some aspects of business, including brand dynamics, remain constant. Retailers make a sale when they communicate a value proposition. Customers put their money on the counter when they accept a value proposition. For flooring purchases, an activity which most consumers have infrequent experience and low expertise, a meaningful brand says, “Here is a product in which you can have confidence.”

The relationship between margin and brand is clear. We all deal with it every day. We don’t buy the cheap no-brand gas because it might hurt the car; we buy the recognized brand of toothpaste because the no-name brand is not worth risk. The higher the risk, the greater the brand power. “I don’t want to be unhappy with my flooring. “Redoing it again isn’t an option.” “This is an investment in my home. “I’ll pay a bit more to buy a brand in which I can have peace of mind.” This happens all day long, every day, rewarding retailers who have meaningful brands to offer consumers.

In the crowded field of flooring, Armstrong gives retailers not one, but two powerful consumer brands: Armstrong and Bruce. In point of fact, during unsettling, challenging economic periods consumers exhibit greater aversion to risk, which means the assurance of these quality brand names is all the more important.

These brands are tremendous assets to retailers—they help bring people into the store—and they are carefully managed and measured. Research proves that as a result of generations of investment and delivering quality products, consumers recognize Armstrong and Bruce as conveying trust, quality and good taste.

Consistent investment in national consumer advertising—non-stop since 1917—has helped build the Armstrong brand. Today, its brands have the strongest awareness across all the hard surface flooring categories in which they participate, including wood and laminate: an incredible brand awareness—about 25% ahead of the nearest competitor.

Retailers also understand the importance of brand familiarity when customers walk through the door asking for a certain name. Take Jamie Butters, general manager, Advance Carpet One in Kirkwood, Mo., who said, “Armstrong has tremendous brand recognition. There’s a comfort factor people have with the name. Because they know the name, they know it is quality and is going to perform. [In fact], they all have probably had an Armstrong floor in their homes at one point in their lives.”

Armstrong has the advantage of 150 years of business success—not a hollow boast but in fact it is a valuable window on how to succeed in the face of challenges. Armstrong has proven it knows how to succeed.

We expect the near-term future to continue to be challenging. But, when we were a cork bottle stopper company, Prohibition was challenging. The Great Depression was challenging. World Wars I and II were challenging. The same approach has led Armstrong to success in every single chapter of its history: leadership. And anyone wishing to trust his fate to aligning with leadership need look no further than Armstrong.