DALLAS—Mohawk is taking a walk on the wild side one more time. Wild animals, that is. Partnering with the Dallas Zoo, Mohawk is putting SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona to the ultimate durability and resiliency test: six African elephants weighing a combined 45,000 pounds.
“Last year we proved beyond a reasonable doubt that SmartStrand Sorona could meet the extreme challenge of staining and soiling,” said David Duncan, vice president of marketing, referring to the Ricko the Rhino challenge at the Birmingham Zoo where a 2,800-pound black rhinoceros lived on the carpet for two weeks which cleaned up perfectly. “This year we wanted to intensify the challenge and focus on durability and performance. We asked the question, ‘What’s bigger than a rhino?’ So we went with the land’s largest land mammal: an elephant. Not just one elephant but six elephants.” As an added bonus, Mohawk carpeted a 3,500-pound rhino’s cage with SmartStrand, but the pitch is geared more toward social media, creating a story line that ties back to the famed Ricko.
Mohawk carpeted the 10 x 40-foot bridge between the elephant barn and what the Dallas Zoo refers to as the Savannah, a recently opened natural habitat for wild animals. “The elephants cross the bridge twice every day, which will literally takes the abuse of 45,000 pounds of elephant back and forth,” Duncan said. “So it gets extreme wear for two weeks.”
Six day- and night-vision webcams will be strategically placed within the structure to capture the animals’ life on the carpet. The public can check in on the elephants throughout the SmartStrand Zoo Challenge via its website: smartstrandchallenge .com.
Like last year, after two weeks the carpet will be pulled up, cleaned by a local Floorcare Essentials retailer, cut up and shipped to the Mohawk regional events across the country for a before-and-after viewing demonstration.
Duncan believes the results of the challenge will be as powerful as last year. “We are confident not only will our carpet live up to extreme soiling and staining, but it will not be crushed by the weight of the elephants. For consumers, if it can live up to these conditions, it can live up to any conditions in the home.”
The wild animal demonstrations not withstanding, there is no disputing the impact SmartStrand’s unique attributes have had on the industry. At a press event here heralding the launch of the challenge, Duncan shared the results of some extensive Mohawk research, which gauged the satisfaction of consumers who have purchased SmartStrand Sorona as well as those who purchased nylon products. “On the three levels of measurement, SmartStrand Sorona rose to the top,” he said. The survey revealed 96% of consumers were highly satisfied with their carpet, 98% said they would purchase SmartStrand again, and 33% more SmartStrand consumers would recommend the product versus nylon customers.
“This is by far the best satisfaction results I have ever seen in the flooring industry,” Duncan said. “Not only were 96% satisfied, there was virtually zero dissatisfaction. It was off the charts compared to nylon. SmartStrand probably has the best product satisfaction in the history of Mohawk.”
Retailer sentiment is testament to SmartStrand’s success. Steve Fitzgerald, president and CEO of eight-store Texas chain CC Carpet, told FCNews he sells 
plenty of SmartStrand. “It is becoming one of my fastest growing fibers. Consumers are coming in and asking for it. And those who have purchased SmartStrand in the past are coming in, looking to do more areas in the home.” He said the fact it doesn’t stain is a big selling point, but lately he’s finding the softness of the fiber to be a differentiator. “And with triexta it’s like an Under Armour shirt.” He added that not only is SmartStrand very competitively priced from the lowest to the highest end, but he is averaging an additional three to five points on margin versus other products.
Brady Burgett, vice president, central region, Redi Carpet, has been doing good SmartStrand business with his multifamily customers due to the inherent stain resistance and wear characteristics of the product, not to mention the aesthetics. “Once you get the multi-family customers on it, you can’t get them off it. SmartStrand has led us to do more business with Mohawk.”
Mohawk is supporting retailers in this latest SmartStrand challenge with a comprehensive POP kit along with 24/7 webcam feeds and videos they can loop in their store. The company has also put together print ads and TV spots in which retailers can engage. This has also been embedded in all of Mohawk’s fall promotions.
Finally, Mohawk is also attacking the social media sites with updates and statuses on all six elephants. “The six elephants all have names and different personalities,” Duncan said. “We will bring them to life through Facebook.”
Hard surface involvement
The Mohawk Hard Surface division is capitalizing on the latest SmartStrand challenge by setting up an interactive product exhibit in the Human Habitat, the reptile portion of the Dallas Zoo. Three vignettes featuring Mohawk hardwood, laminate and ceramic will be on display for a month, exposing the products to an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 zoo visitors, who are encouraged to walk on the floors.
“We started talking after last year’s event that worked so well for soft surface and asked ourselves how we could tie it into hard surface,” said Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing, Mohawk Hard Surfaces. “We put together three of our best hard surface products in the vignettes. It shows the premium we put on innovation, performance and beauty as well as their sustainability story.”
The laminate vignette displays Barnwood Oak with its Scratchguard finish technology, GenuEdge edge treatment and Uniclic glueless locking technology. The product also comes with an environmental story, Farabee said. “74% of the laminate products we produce feature recycled content. They are also CARB compliant. And they can be reused as they can be uninstalled and reinstalled.”
The hardwood vignette features Mohawk’s recently introduced strand woven bamboo called Kahala in the handscraped variety. The product differs from traditional bamboo in that it is shredded and recombined to create a unique look. It is also much more durable, Farabee said. “We use new technology which makes it more indent resistant than regular bamboo flooring and much more than oak. Because bamboo is a highly renewable resource, it can be harvested every five to seven years. Kahala is also LEED recognized, and Lacey and CARB compliant.”
The tile vignette features Novara and Reveal imaging, a process that creates a 3-D image. The product offers Microban microbial technology and, like most of Mohawk’s porcelain products, contains at least 50% pre-consumer content and some post-consumer content.
-Steve Feldman