With carpet installations on the decline, Rug Doctor had taken steps to evolve their product offering and improve their technology. Yet, in the customer’s mind, the brand was old and stodgy. The company needed a clear message to position them as what they had become—the innovative leaders in affordable home cleaning.
Our research showed that the Rug Doctor name had huge awareness. But because most people never think about deep cleaning their carpet, they also never think about Rug Doctor. The name wasn’t relevant to them because there was nothing new or interesting about it. It simply stood for the old-school, bulky, red machine they’d seen somewhere in the supermarket.
A behind-the-scenes tour of Rug Doctor’s real-life R&D lab in Fenton, Missouri gave us all the inspiration we needed to make the brand new and relevant to consumers. Here was a place that proved Rug Doctor’s commitment to innovation and their passion for easier, more effective cleaning. And it showed us first-hand that the most convincing proof lies in a dirty water pour.
We created the Rug Doctor Institute of Clean—a fictional facility based on the Fenton R&D lab that allows us to show our expertise and innovative nature in a fun, engaging way. Our spokesman, the DOC (Director of Clean), is a quirky, likeable guy who takes a not-so-serious approach to explaining Rug Doctor’s serious obsession with cleaning. By establishing the Institute, we opened the door to a place that gave us permission to talk about new products, brand stories, and the efficacy of the entire Rug Doctor system.
The Institute was made for television, with its sleek design and functional areas like the dirty water vault, the innovation lab, and the party room. The DOC is the perfect tour guide to walk our viewers through a variety of real-life messes, while demonstrating the cleaning power of the Rug Doctor system.
Original music and sound design scored by Luminous Sound Studios brought it all together. For the radio campaign, we gave The DOC his own call-in show where he offers solutions to caller’s problems.
“PRO DEEP CLEANER” RADIO
“URINE ELIMINATOR” RADIO
The campaign also introduced a word we coined to express the feeling inspired by cleaning with Rug Doctor, specifically at that moment when you see the dirt that came out of your carpets – during the post-clean water pour. “Disgustifaction,” a mashup of disgust and satisfaction, became a word you’ll now find the definition for on Urban Dictionary.
The Institute of Clean campaign has increased affinity for the brand and, more importantly, driven more people to clean their carpets with Rug Doctor. The campaign updated the brand with a more contemporary look, and garnered industry recognition, winning an AAF Dallas ADDY award in the Regional/National Television Commercial category.
– Jan Valentic, CMO of Rug Doctor
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