"Save the Ceilings" Campaign for Armstrong Integrated Campaign
CLIENT
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors, ceilings and cabinets. Based in Lancaster, Pa., Armstrong operates 33 plants in eight countries and has approximately 9,300 employees worldwide. The company's global acoustical ceiling and suspension systems business is 90 percent commercial and 10 percent residential.
SITUATION
In 1999, Armstrong Ceilings introduced its groundbreaking ceiling recycling program, which has recycled over 123 million square feet of old ceiling material to date. Though the program has been very successful, the company wanted to encourage increased industry participation. Armstrong contacted Function: to develop a comprehensive advertising and marketing campaign targeting architects, contractors and building owners to not only educate them on the benefits of the recycling program, but help them "make decisions that have a positive impact."
SOLUTION
Taking a bold and clever approach to ceiling recycling, Function: centered the campaign on the concept and tag, "Save the Ceilings." Unlike other campaigns that address environmental issues, Function: wanted to create a concept that promoted positivity, making the message, and ultimately the program, more accessible to the industry. Beginning with an advertisement, which featured a strong typographical design, Function: introduced the campaign to Armstrong's target audiences in a way that would not only stand out in publications, but also generate curiosity and interest. The ad directed the audience to Armstrong's website, where they could learn more about the ceiling recycling program through the next phase of the campaign: an animated video.
The video, developed by Function:, served as an extension of the ad and reiterated the strength of the "Save the Ceilings" statement in a fun and unintimidating manner. Done in an illustration style and incorporating people of all ages, the video functioned as a messaging tool and as a sales tool for Armstrong representatives in the field. Armstrong showed its overall commitment to philanthropy and numerous causes by asking those that watched the video to select a cause of importance to them and the company would make a contribution. In doing so, Function: and Armstrong showed that by saving the ceilings, architects, contractors and building owners, can truly help save a piece of the world. Additionally, to further generate buzz and create a movement, Armstrong will be incorporating images and messages into its exhibit at the 2012 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo and passing out buttons to attendees to further spread the word about "Save the Ceilings."
