How do you know it’s time to invest in brand marketing? Lessons from Ruggable

This is a common story for brands that have grown up online and then hit a plateau; however, it’s not an easy decision for a business to know when it is ready to make this very expensive marketing investment.

Charlotte Ford, the European senior marketing director at Ruggable, is responsible for taking the brand above the line. She says: “You read these stories about how Airbnb shifted its entire budget from performance to brand, but then you get your CFO saying, ‘Well, we aren’t Airbnb or Apple, so how do we know it’s the right time?’”

According to Ford, there are several questions a marketer can ask themselves to know if their brand is ready. Has the business become more reliant on promotions to grow? Have customers become savvy to when the sales days are? “It’s very addictive to get into that habit of sales, so that is a really strong indicator that you need to build your brand because if you have a strong brand, customers are willing to pay more for a strong brand.”

Another indicator is if brand awareness is growing but only slightly. Ruggable currently has an awareness of 30% in the UK, but the aim is to get that to 55-60% in the next two years. Ruggable’s target audience is parents and pet owners, which is a very broad adult demographic, meaning a mass reach campaign. “The pet owner segment is incredibly broad: 36% of the UK population own a dog, but that demographic looks very different, so the audiences for growth aren’t going to be on Facebook or Instagram, so that is where reaching offline customers is really important.”

The last thing, she says, to ask yourself is: “Do you have a three-year growth plan that is set by your board, or is there ambition from management or a board to have a growth trajectory? Because if you do, there are very few channels that can offer you reach and scale like TV can.

“Those are all probably indicators that you need to start looking at your brand.”

Ruggable’s plans for growth

Ruggable launched initially in the US in 2017 before expanding into the UK in 2021. The company was founded by Jeneva Bell after her dog destroyed an expensive rug. Her thought was that washing a rug should be as easy as washing bedding or towels. The pitch was to create a product that was aspirational and high-end, but also practical and livable.

In the UK, the marketing team wants the Ruggable brand to be known for having a “playful” tone of voice. “The core of the brand is quite playful, its light-hearted and has knowing wit,” says Ford. Ruggable conveys this in its TV ad that is fronted by comedian Elle Taylor and plays on the idea of British people judging other people’s homes.

“We wanted it to feel really playful and really different to stand out in a category that can feel very samey.” This is a cultural difference that is only relevant to the UK audience, Ford explains, with the US campaigns tugging more on emotions rather than humor. “The task is how do you get Ruggable on the consideration list and that is where being playful is really important; otherwise, they will not remember us.”

TV is a “quick lever for growth,” which is why Ruggable used it this time. “It isn’t the only weapon in our arsenal, however. It’s also about finding the right partnerships, writing engaging blog posts and through PR.”

Unlike a lot of interior brands that have a curated aesthetic aimed at people with a certain style or taste, Ruggable’s target of parents and pet owners means it aims itself at a very broad demographic. Brand partnerships are a core part of how it ensures all people’s styles are catered for. Ruggable has a deal with Netflix for Bridgerton-inspired rugs, as well as with Disney and Arsenal football club. It also teamed up with Mattel last year for a range of rugs to coincide with the release of the Barbie movie.

Ruggable also localizes its brand partnerships, as seen, for example, in its Morris & Co collaboration in the UK and an Iris Apfel deal in the US.

The next opportunity for Ruggable, which Ford’s team is still trying to figure out, is how to reach people who aren’t shopping for a rug but are looking for something to “liven” up their home. “That is a much richer category,” says Ford. The challenge, though, is that those shoppers will have a smaller pool of go-to retailers. “They will go to one or two high street stores when they are looking for interiors,” she says, such as Habitat, John Lewis, Next and Ikea.

“It’s a very beautiful aesthetic and the products are gorgeous and there is something for everyone there. If we show the brand up there in the right channels with the right messages, then we’ve got a great opportunity to continue to grow.”