Quick-Step is a quality flooring brand produced by Mohawk Industries Inc.
Ongoing research and innovation along with a strong focus on quality have made Quick-Step one of the top players in the flooring industry. Renowned for its patented Uniclic® installation system that requires no glue whatsoever, the brand has evolved from an affordable alternative to wood to a category in its own right, offering a wide variety of designer floors that are quick and easy to install and maintain in every situation. Today, Quick-Step is a global engineered wood, laminate and luxury vinyl flooring brand active in over 100 countries. A true leader in design, innovation and quality.
In 2016, Quick-Step starts its 18th year as one of the main sponsors of the world-famous Etixx – Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team. Armed with a brand-new campaign that draws comparisons between world-class riders and Quick-Step’s high-quality design floors, both the brand and the cyclists are all geared up for another successful year together.
“First and foremost, as a company with Flemish roots, we have always been passionate about cycling”, says Paul De Cock, President at UNILIN, division flooring. “The approach and the philosophy of the cycling team and Quick-Step’s brand values are very similar. The Quick-Step brand focuses on three core values: design, quality, and innovation. It shares the latter two with the cycling team, which is equally committed to delivering top quality and innovation. In this way, they strengthen each other’s reputation around the globe.”
WHERE DID IT ALL BEGAN
The new campaign kicked-off in December, during Etixx – Quick-Step’s first training camp of the winter, in Denia, a small, but charming city on the Costa Blanca. On a cloudy day, with rain and low temperatures, some of the team’s riders gathered in a theater located right in the town’s center for what was to be a couple of hours of fun and photo sessions. An afternoon in which the cyclists posed in their racing kit, but also in elegant outfits, while finding the time to let their inner child get out and play with the mud more common to the cyclo-cross than to sponsor photo sessions.
For Niki Terpstra, the 2014 Paris-Roubaix champion, the Quick-Step products are more than familiar, as he used the company’s flooring for his home and is more than happy with its quality: “I really enjoyed this day, because it was more than the usual photo shoots we were used to. The atmosphere was really great and relaxing, and this allowed us to have a lot of fun while promoting one of our most loyal sponsors. Quick-Step’s product are really top quality and we hope that our fans will get to see this by themselves.”
What was the secret of such a successful day? Seven-time Monument winner Tom Boonen explains: “The campaign is really cool and I like it especially for the fact that it shows us in our natural element. It was great to take our minds off training for a couple of hours. It’s important to see the sponsors being close to us all the time, not only during the season, but also in this time of the year, when we prepare for the upcoming season.”
With this campaign, Quick-Step aims to create a link between the distinguishing characteristics of Tom Boonen, Niki Terpstra, Zdeněk Štybar, Tony Martin and Marcel Kittel and a specific interior style. The unique characteristics of each of these riders and the quality of the Quick-Step products complement each other in an ideal way, offering a fine blend of strength and style.
SPLIT CAMPAIGN
Niki Terpstra, for example, noted for his ability to keep going in the most challenging conditions, is shown in a modern country interior. ‘Rough rides, smooth styles’, connects perfection and imperfection: the rough cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix versus Terpstra’s perfect style, and the cosy interior with its rough, imperfect finishes. Zdeněk Štybar, a former cyclo-crosser and three-time winner of the world title in this discipline, is the embodiment of a characterful, eclectic interior. ‘Historical scenery, heroic design’ refers to the Strade Bianche race, which passes a number of historical landmarks. In this way, the campaign perfectly sums up the interplay between fresh, daring colours and iconic design elements with a history.
Tony Martin, a time trial wonder with three rainbow jersey to his name, lives the adage of ‘less is more’ under ‘Geared for speed and timeless beauty’. A minimal and modern interior with clean shapes and lines was the logical choice here. The image featuring Marcel Kittel, with the baseline ‘Trained for speed, built for perfection’ is a testament to the interplay between his explosive sprinting style and the pure form and function of an industrial interior: no hint of excess, no-nonsense and minimal to the bone.
FROM CLASSICS TO DESIGN
Who better than Tom Boonen, the best Classics rider of his generation, to promote a truly classic interior? Tom is shown simultaneously at the legendary Tour of Flanders race and in a classic interior, hence the baseline ‘Always ahead of the pack, from the classics to design’. The interior itself is marked by warm and soft colours and a clear focus on order, symmetry and balance. Boonen: “Like no other, Quick-Step understands the values of the team, and this campaign perfectly links our riding style with the style of Quick-Step floors and interiors. I’m confident that 2016 will be an exceptional year for Etixx – Quick-Step, and cycling in general.”
Patrick Lefevere, CEO of Etixx – Quick-Step, concurs: “Quick-Step has been there since the very start, and our loyal and mutually beneficial partnership will, once again, prove to be one of the most powerful in the history of cycling.”
Photo credit: Tim De Waele
