Carpet Cleaner Calls on Loomis

The Loomis Agency has picked up $5-10 million in local advertising business from carpet cleaning franchise Stanley Steem-er International.

The Dallas shop has been assigned corporate markets in Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla. The agency will also handle duties for the Buffalo, N.Y., franchise.

The accounts include both creative and media placement.

Loomis, which held the Dalworth Carpet Cleaning account for 12 years, said it called up the competition after parting with its previous client earlier this year.

Said agency chief executive officer Paul Loomis, “[We] called them and said, ‘We’re the agency that’s been kicking your butt here for the last 10 years. Why don’t you give us a call?’ “

After several meetings with the agency, Stanley Steemer awarded six major markets to Loomis without a review. The Columbus, Ohio-based company had previously handled its advertising in-house, with media placed through Empower MediaMarketing in Cincinnati.

Total annual advertising spending by Stanley Steemer franchises in the U.S. is about $50 million, according to the agency.

“We’ve got a little sliver of that pie,” said Loomis. “It’s an opportunity for us to show our stuff and win other business from them.”

In a statement, Stanley Steemer chairman Wesley Bates said Loomis “has a deep understanding of our industry and customers, and they have some interesting marketing concepts.”

Loomis said the agency plans to develop new television advertising focusing on weekly specials, package pricing, seasonal promotions and other call-to-action offers.

“We’re going to help them get very aggressive in the retail trenches,” Loomis said.

Three new television commercials are being prepared for release in January. The work will likely introduce a national 800 number for the client.

Music will be a key part of the effort, said Loomis, whose holding company also owns audio and film production company Luminous Sound Studios.

Loomis himself composed the well-known local commercial jingle for Dalworth. Its tagline is: “Because the next best thing to new is Dalworth clean.”

Stanley Steemer was founded in 1947. The company has more than 250 franchisees across the U.S. providing carpet and upholstery cleaning services.