In May, I had the opportunity to travel Ashville, N.Y., to be a guest of Tarkett’s on the set of Military Makeover with Montel Williams. If you’ve never seen the show, the series aims to repay veterans for the service and sacrifices they’ve made for our country, by rebuilding the homes—and even the lives—of brave service men and women.
Being on the set of a reality show puts a spotlight on how the flooring choices one makes can have an impact on the overall feeling of quality in a home. It was a treat to see the team from Tarkett, Piazza Carpet One of Jamestown West, N.Y., and NRF Distributors from August, Maine, roll up their sleeves to install luxury vinyl plank and sheet vinyl. You should have also heard the cheers of excitement from the project designer Jennifer Bertrand and volunteers when the Tarkett team promised them a last-minute delivery of Downy carpet for the bedrooms. While the bedroom floors weren’t originally on the hit list for a makeover, it became glaringly clear that they needed something fresh and new once the paint and décor began taking shape. Jorge Morgato, regional business manager, Tarkett, (who also happens to be a Sully flight survivor) jumped on the phone with his team to figure out what they could get delivered ASAP.
There is something about the camaraderie and a little bit of elbow grease that makes every project memorable. If only every flooring project could have this level of impact.
The day on the set also took me back to my days as an entry-level editor at Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen & Bath Ideas magazine. My boss at the time tasked me with producing front-of-book features, which entailed collaborating on a theme each month, doing interviews, soliciting samples of things for photography (Yes, Kohler, would you please ship your $8,000 super-heavy all-star bathtub to our studios for the shoot?). Savvy companies are always willing to donate product for good editorial placement, and double bonus if it’s for a good cause, like this Military Makeover project.
This project is a perfect example of cause marketing, in which a company’s promotional campaign has the dual purpose of increasing profitability while bettering society. We are foreshadowing here our upcoming editorial feature for October on cause marketing. Do you have a cause close to your heart that is also doing good for your business? We want know! Drop me a line at kernt@bnpmedia.com and tell us your story.
