RFCI: The Story Behind Beautifully Responsible

Beautifully Responsible™

An interview with Dean Thompson, president and CEO of Resilient Floor Covering Institute, about the new consumer campaign Beautifully Responsible™

Q: Dean, as the president and CEO of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, can you share with our readers what RFCI is about?

A: We are the leading industry trade association for hard surface flooring. Our mission is to help homeowners, designers, facility managers, and architects make wise flooring decisions. Our members represent Resilient Flooring, whether it’s rigid core and flexible luxury vinyl, vinyl composition tile, linoleum, vinyl sheet, rubber, or cork flooring.

Q: What was the role of RFCI in creating the Beautifully Responsible™ campaign?

A: As a trade association for the Resilient Flooring industry, a key component of our mission is to educate the market about the advantages of resilient flooring ownership. While our member manufacturers do a great job communicating the benefits of their individual product lines, RFCI and its manufacturing members agree to the advantages associated with a common high-level message about this growing category.

Q: How did the idea of Beautifully Responsible™ come about?

A: Through recent research of the consumer market and valuable input from our members, we discovered some very compelling facts about all resilient flooring that truly resonate with consumer needs and desires.

For example, we learned that 41% of Americans want to be seen as buying ecofriendly products but who don’t want to make trade-offs. We also found that all of us spend, on average, about 90% of our lives indoors, and so indoor air quality is important. And consumers want investments in their homes, such as flooring, to last and keep their beauty without the need for premature replacement.

So, in a collaborative effort with Shelton Group, the leading marketing communications agency focused on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and with the insights and leadership of our member manufacturers, we created a campaign called Beautifully Responsible™.

Q: How is this being communicated to consumers?

A: Beautifully Responsible™ is an exclusive social media, consumer campaign divided into three messages: Mindful Manufacturing™, Living Well™, and Made for Life™. Each of these messages address concerns consumers have about any purchase for home improvement—particularly flooring. Resilient flooring ‘checks all the boxes’ when it comes to these concerns.

Q: What do you mean by Mindful Manufacturing™?

A: Mindful Manufacturing™ is a validation of the sustainable practices used by all RFCI members that align with consumer eco-friendly values. Practices such as environmental health and safety, transparency in ingredients, reduced energy, water, material waste, decreased greenhouse gases, and careful use of resources are part of our Mindful Manufacturing™ message.

Q: You mentioned Living Well™. What does that mean?

A: Living Well™ assures consumers that Resilient Floors contribute to good indoor air quality and that the floors are easy to clean without the use of harsh chemicals. They can also improve accessibility between rooms and can soften the acoustics in the home.

Q: We assume Made for Life™ has something to do with how long a floor will last?

A: That’s right. Made for Life™ promises that Resilient Floors will last and last. In fact, 20+ years is the typical lifespan of resilient flooring. That means long-lasting beauty with less waste. Many options provide advanced scratch and stain protection, as well as waterproof and water-resistant options. And pet clean up is easy with Resilient Flooring.

Q: How will you reach consumers with this message?

A: In order to educate and position resilient flooring as the answer to their flooring needs, Shelton Group, working with RFCI, developed a multi-pronged strategy to reach homeowners, designers, decorators, and businesses with the advantages of Resilient Flooring. These tactics include a new consumer website: BeautifullyResponsible.com, as well as influencer marketing, blogs, video, social media, including Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, Google Display Network, and others.

We have also included the Beautifully Responsible™ message on our website RFCI.com and will be promoting the campaign to the floor covering trade.

Q: How many of your members are participating in the campaign?

A: All 22 RFCI member manufacturers, representing well over 90% of all the resilient flooring manufactured and marketed in North America, are participating in this effort. The campaign kicked-off in January 2021 and will reach millions of homeowners in the market for flooring.

Q: How can anyone learn more about Beautifully Responsible™?

A: We invite you to learn more about Beautifully Responsible™ Resilient Flooring and share that information with your flooring customers. Remember, RFCI represents 22 manufacturers who make thousands of different styles to choose from. But they all have one tremendous advantage in common. They are all Beautifully Responsible™.

Visit BeautifullyResponsible.com or RFCI.com for more information. ❚