Urging consumers to view flooring through the prism of memory, Shaw Industries has announced the launch of a major national consumer advertising campaign in leading shelter publications. With ads slated to appear in such magazines as Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies' Home Journal and O (The Oprah Magazine), the ads are designed to provoke a nostalgic emotional response to flooring.

The ads. which were created by the Dallas-based ad agency R&D Thinktank, feature variations of the tagline, "I want a floor that will take me back." According to Kathy Young, Shaw's director of creative services the ads are aimed at "bringing back memories of trips to quaint hotels or favorite bed-and-breakfast inns." Additionally, the ads may inspire a homeowner to recreate that experience at home, she added.

"These ads say, ‘You can recreate your dream," she said.

Doug Rucker, principal of R&D Thinktank, said that the campaign draws its message from extensive consumer research. "We know that before women undertake a home flooring project, they take mental pictures of rooms that appeal to them, a scrapbook of sorts. This campaign acknowledges this important part of the process," he said.

Along with prompting consumers to think of flooring in a sentimental light, the ads also direct readers to Shaw's website, www.shawfloors.com. From the site, visitors can click on the Dealer Locator link and find a Shaw retailer in their area. To further expand its message, plans to unveil a more expansive campaign in Spring 2006.