Ruggable Pulls the Plug on Performance Ads and Bets on the Internet's Favorite Creators

Since last August, Ruggable has shifted roughly 10% of its overall ad spend away from performance channels like Meta and into brand-building territory: influencers, connected TV, and creator partnerships. Next year, the washable-rug brand plans to push that number up another 15% to 20%, according to CMO Lauren Sherman-Kaoud, who put it bluntly: "what got us here is not going to get us there."

The clearest proof point is ShopMy. Ruggable's partnership with the creator-commerce platform generated roughly $3 million in revenue in its first month, then doubled the next month and tripled the month after that. The brand says that working media is now outperforming traditional ads, and even TikTok, as a conversion channel. Influencer operations that once needed a small team are now run by one person, with the freed-up overhead reallocated toward the creator push.

Ruggable runs two creator tracks: hundreds of affiliate creators driving scale and conversions, and a smaller roster of brand ambassadors, including food personality Dan Pelosi and Spread the Jelly, handling bigger activations and product collaborations. With an IPO on the brand's radar within three years, awareness is now the priority, and Ruggable is building out an internal ambassador program aimed at interior designers next.

Source: Modern Retail

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →