Propex Inc. is a carpet backing company based in Chattanooga, Tenn.Three years ago when Propex launched a new woven, recycled polyester product for the growing carpet tile market, the Chattanooga company christened the new brand as “ISIS” after the Egyptian Goddess known for teaching women how to weave.
But the ISIS name has since taken on a far more sinister reputation as the identity of Islamic terrorists at war with America in Syria and Iraq.
So on Wednesday, Propex announced a rebranding of one of its top brands. The polyester product has been relabeled “ARTIS,” the Latin term for artistic. Propex is touting the brand with the new tagline, “The canvas of modular masterpieces.”
Ann Harrell, who manages marketing for the furnishing solutions division of Propex, said the ISIS brand was not something the company wanted to be known for even after spending a lot of time and resources to initially promote the name.
“With everything that’s going on in the Middle East, changing the name was just the right thing to do,” she said. “Our customers have been very supportive of this decision.”
Nicholas O’Shaughgressy, a professor at Queen Mary’s University in London, recently told RT News that being associated with ISIS today is “brand suicide.”
Harrell said Propex customers came to know their ISIS brand before the name became synonymous with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and denounced as a terrorist organization by President Obama.
“We did not encounter “raised eyebrows” so to speak,” she said in an email to the Times Free Press. “But when the topic of conversation became, “What are the odds of this happening to you guys?” instead of the product and product attributes, it became clear that the right thing to do was to rebrand the product.”
But changing the brand is not easy, she said.
“Because our products are unique and provide special advantages and benefits to our trade customers, we brand them so they are not mistakenly perceived as ordinary, commodity products,.” she said. “Branding enables us to effectively market our products and develop product loyalty with our customers.
Propex said the change from ISIS to ARTIS is among several brand changes coming at the company in 2015. Tom Borders, the business director of domestic furnishing solutions at Propex, said the recycled polyester product should continue to grow in popularity under its new name.
“Since its introduction over three years ago, both carpet manufacturers and designers have discovered that our engineered modular backing enables them to be more efficient and creative,” Borders said. “That’s because ARTIS combines the advantages of spunbond and woven, such as dimensional stability, pattern definition and 85 percent post-consumer recycled content.”
Propex dates back to 1910 when Patchogue Mills began producing lace curtains and tablecloths. Today, the Chattanooga-based company has more than 2,000 employees and generates over $400 million in annual sales.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340