Shaw finds new social media home on Pinterest

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 4/24/2012 11:21:30 AM

Dalton, Ga. - With an already-established network of nearly 70,000 engaged consumers on its Faceboook page, Shaw Floors is further extending its social media outreach with the launch of its new Pinterest account and pinboards.

Shaw Floors' aim on Pinterest is to "provide home design enthusiasts across the country with inspiration and an easy way to save their favorite ideas."

The company's initial Pinterest page features eight design boards, based on color and style themes and including descriptive titles, such as "Hue Can Do It (Teal)," "Man Cave," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Ikat Explosion."
Incorporating stylish flooring images as well as other room elements, Shaw's Pinterest design boards also use inspiring images from fashion, nature and everyday life to create a complete illustration of each specific theme. Its Pinterest The boards, which are constantly evolving, Shaw said, "reflect a design method" that Shaw employs when creating new carpet and area rugs as well as hard flooring products like hardwood, laminate, tile, and stone.

"With the extreme growth of Pinterest over the last several months, we felt it was important to establish a Shaw presence on the site so we can reach consumers where they are," said ToddCallaway, manager of interactive marketing and media at Shaw Floors. "The visual nature of Pinterest makes it an ideal platform to showcase Shaw products. We're excited to be one of the first flooring companies in the space and look forward to interacting with consumers on a new level."

Emily Morrow, Shaw's director of color, style and design, said Pinterest offers the company "the unique opportunity to invite consumers into Shaw's research and development process."

Before inventing new flooring looks, she said, Shaw's design team travels the world in search of up-and-coming trends in home décor, fashion, art and more. They collect these ideas via pictures, swatches and samples, then capture the themes on palettes called mood boards, and refer to the boards for inspiration when creating new flooring styles, colors and textures.

"Shaw's Pinterest design boards are online representations of these compilations," Morrow added. "We hope consumers enjoy this ‘sneak peek' at our process and will use the boards as inspiration for their own design projects."

Shaw's Pinterest pins include its own uploads as well as re-pins from other brands on the site, such as Nordstrom, Southern Living, and Elle Décor. Many Shaw pins also include comments from the company's design team for how to incorporate a theme or idea into a user's own space. In addition, the page is continuously updated with new design boards and additions to existing boards, so visitors will have an ongoing source of new images to explore.