Article Number: 4958
Mohawk SmartStrand 1; Ricko the Rhino 0
The results are in. After two weeks of having a 2,800-pound rhinoceros trudge all over Mohawk SmartStrand carpet made with DuPont Sorona renewably sourced polymer, it was no contest. The beige carpet emerged victorious. In fact, the zoo animal couldn’t even compete.
The much publicized SmartStrand Rhino Challenge, where Mohawk installed 1,040 square feet of SmartStrand carpet in a 12-year-old black rhino’s enclosure at the Birmingham Zoo, was staged to test the durability and cleanability of the high-performance carpet. After two weeks, the carpet showed some severe staining. In fact, at one point a tropical storm had forced a very muddy Ricko the Rhino to spend an extended amount of time in his enclosure for safety reasons. It was during this time that Ricko generated some of his most difficult stains.
But in the end, the SmartStrand carpet stood up to everything Ricko could dish out: the constant tracking in of mud, dirt and urine.
“I never had a doubt,” said Dave Duncan, Mohawk’s vice president of marketing. “SmartStrand’s stain resistance and durability is no match for any stain maker, whether it’s a rhinoceros or your own pets.”
After the two weeks, local Mohawk Floorscapes retailer Issis & Sons Carpet handled the cleaning. Using only hot-water extraction and Mohawk FloorCare Essentials Carpet Stain Remover, the dingy, dirty spots washed away.
“We used the same formula, at the same strength, available to every consumer who purchases Mohawk FloorCare Essentials from their local retailer,” Duncan said. “Because this was designed to be a true test of our carpet, we didn’t clean it using any extraordinary means. And it didn’t need anything outside the norm because SmartStrand triexta proved itself to be that amazingly stain resistant.”
During the two week experiment, one of four Web cams broadcast the adventures of Ricko the Rhino living on carpeting live at SmartStrand Challenge.com. During that time, Mohawk said tens of thousands of visitors witnessed every stain and stomp by the rhino.
“I knew we were welcoming an element of risk by inviting the world to witness Ricko stomp around his home and do whatever he does for 14 long days on live Web cams,” Duncan said. “But the carpet cleaned up beautifully.”
While the Challenge ended nearly six weeks ago, Mohawk is still getting a great deal of mileage out of the promotion. The marketing team has developed a series of tools including retail advertising, in-store DVDs and POP that tells the SmartStrand Rhino Challenge story. “Our retailers will be able to use these tools in September, October and November to market SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpets in their local markets,” Duncan said.
The much publicized SmartStrand Rhino Challenge, where Mohawk installed 1,040 square feet of SmartStrand carpet in a 12-year-old black rhino’s enclosure at the Birmingham Zoo, was staged to test the durability and cleanability of the high-performance carpet. After two weeks, the carpet showed some severe staining. In fact, at one point a tropical storm had forced a very muddy Ricko the Rhino to spend an extended amount of time in his enclosure for safety reasons. It was during this time that Ricko generated some of his most difficult stains.
But in the end, the SmartStrand carpet stood up to everything Ricko could dish out: the constant tracking in of mud, dirt and urine.
“I never had a doubt,” said Dave Duncan, Mohawk’s vice president of marketing. “SmartStrand’s stain resistance and durability is no match for any stain maker, whether it’s a rhinoceros or your own pets.”
After the two weeks, local Mohawk Floorscapes retailer Issis & Sons Carpet handled the cleaning. Using only hot-water extraction and Mohawk FloorCare Essentials Carpet Stain Remover, the dingy, dirty spots washed away.
“We used the same formula, at the same strength, available to every consumer who purchases Mohawk FloorCare Essentials from their local retailer,” Duncan said. “Because this was designed to be a true test of our carpet, we didn’t clean it using any extraordinary means. And it didn’t need anything outside the norm because SmartStrand triexta proved itself to be that amazingly stain resistant.”
During the two week experiment, one of four Web cams broadcast the adventures of Ricko the Rhino living on carpeting live at SmartStrand Challenge.com. During that time, Mohawk said tens of thousands of visitors witnessed every stain and stomp by the rhino.
“I knew we were welcoming an element of risk by inviting the world to witness Ricko stomp around his home and do whatever he does for 14 long days on live Web cams,” Duncan said. “But the carpet cleaned up beautifully.”
While the Challenge ended nearly six weeks ago, Mohawk is still getting a great deal of mileage out of the promotion. The marketing team has developed a series of tools including retail advertising, in-store DVDs and POP that tells the SmartStrand Rhino Challenge story. “Our retailers will be able to use these tools in September, October and November to market SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpets in their local markets,” Duncan said.
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