Indian Rugs Trade Group Begins Marketing Campaign

New York, NY, Aug. 5, 2008--The Carpet Export Promotion Council of India (CEPC) has launched a full scale marketing campaign in the U.S. to help create awareness and appreciation of the value and quality of rugs from India.

The campaign, the first of its kind for India, will include a public relations program, trade and consumer advertising, and a new website. Scheduled to roll out in stages over the next four years, the campaign’s goal is to increase interest in Indian rugs and drive sales in the United States for manufacturers, importers and retailers.

“The new CEPC promotional campaign will highlight the diversity of India rugs that meet every budget and taste," said Raja Sharma, first vice-chairman of the Carpet Export Promotion Council.

"It will seek to attract sophisticated, value-conscious consumers who wish to surround themselves with furnishings of enduring value and beauty,”

The PR campaign will reach out to home furnishings industry publications, as well as publications edited for interior design professionals, a wide range of national and regional consumer magazines, and home decorating websites. Phase one of the ad campaign is scheduled to start in September, and will encompass select home furnishings and floor covering trade publications.

The CEPC has also enlisted the support of the Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA) to help implement the marketing campaign. ORIA is a national trade association whose members are among the leading U.S.-based importers of handmade carpets.