Going Beyond Softness to Launch New Carpet Brand

Objective:  A flooring company launched a new line of super soft carpet.

Purpose:  The client wanted a fun and engaging way to explain to customers the softness of their new carpet at tradeshows and in stores.

Result:  The client used super soft teddy bears with imprinted ribbons and hand-sewn “Ouch” patches that sold almost 6,000 units within a 6 month period, creating over $50,000 of distributor sales revenue.  

Development:

On November 15, 2012, a salesperson called Artistic Toy troubled because every other toy supplier they had contacted had refused to quote this project.  The project had a quick release date and uncertain client specifications, limiting the options a supplier could offer.  

Initially, the client had requested for the bear to be shaved somewhere indicating that the bear had donated some of its softness to the new carpet brand.  Our sales team quickly consulted with our resident cosmetologist on the assembly team to test this overnight.  Unfortunately, it was concluded that due to the fine fabric, teddy bear plush cannot be shaved like human hair.  Also, cutting the fabric shorter with scissors would be too high a risk a task for our assembly team, plus they could potentially damage the finished product and would produce inconsistent results. 

Alternatively, the sales team offered the solution that we hand stitch a patch on top of the bear fur.  That patch would be printed with the word “Ouch” to give the illusion that the fabric was missing and that the bear had in fact donated its super soft fur to the carpet brand.  The client was very excited about this opportunity and even provided several unique patterned fabric samples from their fabric inventory for to make the patches.  We received very particular instructions with regards to thread colors, stitch direction, and patch location.  We ordered a special cutting die for the patch and started training a 15 person hand sewing team in order to ship out the first 2,000 pcs before the end of the year, allowing these “Patch Bears” to be in hands for a January tradeshow.       

The products delivered on time and the client loved them so much that they continue to re-order them.