RALEIGH, N.C. - To increase top-of-mind awareness and more strongly connect with laminate flooring consumers, Pergo – the inventor and innovator of the laminate flooring category – has partnered with the Best Friends Animal Society, a premier national welfare organization with the mission of No More Homeless Pets®, for a multi-faceted marketing campaign.

"Teaming with Best Friends is such a natural fit for us, as many laminate consumers are pet owners and animal lovers," said David Small, vice president of marketing for Pergo. "Not only is it a perfect venue to demonstrate the superior beauty, durability and performance of our products, but the partnership is a great enhancement to our 'Pergo the Dog' advertising identity and allows us to support a cause that is very important for our customers and employees, who strongly identify with Best Friends' mission."

Pergo vs. Paws and Claws

To kick off the partnership, Pergo installed flooring at the new Best Friends Animal Society Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Services in Los Angeles, which opened in January 2012. The facility provided an extreme setting to test Pergo flooring when animals were turned loose to demonstrate how well the floor would withstand paws, claws, hooves and animal mishaps.

In the end, Pergo passed the test thanks to the brand's exclusive technologies, including PermaMax™ wear layer, which provides two times the wear resistance and two times the durability of ordinary residential laminate floors,* and ScratchGuard Advanced surface protection, which boasts over 30 percent greater scratch protection. Both of these technologies are featured in Pergo's new premium products: PERGO® MAX™, available exclusively at Lowe's, and PERGO® XP™ (Extreme Performance), available exclusively at The Home Depot. Both PERGO MAX and PERGO XP feature a limited lifetime residential warranty against wear, fade and stains.

The animal antics were taped and the resulting video, "Pergo vs. Claws," humorously shows the Pergo flooring being overrun by puppies, cats, chickens, pigs and even a pony. Through it all, the Pergo floor retains its good looks and cleaned up quickly and easily with just a damp mop. The video is posted on YouTube and both the Pergo and Best Friends Animal Society Facebook pages. Additionally, footage from the Best Friends shoot will be featured in Pergo's national TV and online advertising campaign launching this month.

A Dollar Per "Like"

Pergo also is hosting a social media promotion to raise awareness and funds for BFAS. For every fan who "likes" the "Pergo vs. Claws" video on the brand's new Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pergo), Pergo will donate $1 to Best Friends Animal Society.

"Pergo's generous financial contribution makes it possible for Best Friends Animal Society to continue building a better world through kindness to animals, and we are excited to spread the word to our supporters about this ideal flooring option for homes with pets," said John Polis, public relations senior manager of Best Friends. "If Pergo flooring can still look great after taking on all of the animals in our Los Angeles pet adoption center, there's no doubt it can stand up to the daily wear and tear in any household."

Pergo and Best Friends Animal Society are planning additional national and local partnership initiatives throughout the coming year, including pet adoption events, social promotions and educational outreach. For more information about Pergo, visit www.pergo.com. For more information about Best Friends, visit www.bestfriends.org.

*Compared to standard AC‐3 laminate flooring and measured by NALFA/ANSI LF‐01‐2008

Source: Pergo