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Empire Today, LLC
Company typePrivate
IndustryHome Improvement
Founded1959
HeadquartersNorthlake, Illinois, USA
Area served
U.S.
ProductsCarpet
Hardwood Flooring
Laminate Flooring
Ceramic Flooring
Vinyl Flooring
Window Treatments
Area Rugs
Websitewww.empiretoday.com - Empire Today Home Page

Empire Today, LLC is a Northlake, Illinois-based home improvement and home furnishing company, specializing in installed carpet, flooring, and window treatments. The company operates in more than 35 major metropolitan areas in the United States, making it one of the leading providers of installed home improvements and home furnishings in North America. Empire Today has served over one million customers.[1] Empire Today was named the country's #1 Specialty Flooring Retailer (in total dollar amount of sales) in 2008 and 2009 by Floor Covering Weekly. [2]


Empire Today is known for making in-home sales appointments and next day installation on many of its products. [3] Empire Today offers next day installation on carpet, hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, ceramic flooring, vinyl flooring and window treatments. [4]

Empire Carpet: History behind the name

Empire Carpet is the historical, commonly-known name for Empire Today LLC. Empire Carpet was founded by entrepreneur Seymour Cohen in 1959 as Empire Plastic Covers, a private, family-owned business in Chicagoland from a small office space. Owner Seymour Cohen decided to expand its product line in response to growing customer request. In 1965, Empire Plastic Covers changed its name to Empire Home Services, adding carpet to their product line. Over the years, Empire’s product line grew, as did the company’s national presence, and the company name was changed to Empire Carpet. In 2002 the company adopted its current name - Empire Today.

Advertising

Empire Today's advertising is prevalent in areas serviced by the company, especially throughout Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Charlotte; Cleveland; Dallas-Fort Worth; Denver; Detroit; Dover; Harrisburg; Hartford; Houston; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Miami; Milwaukee; Minneapolis-St.Paul; Nashville; southern New England; New York City; Norfolk, VA/Hampton Roads Metro Area; Orlando; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; Portland, OR; Raleigh-Durham; San Diego; San Francisco; Sacramento; Seattle; Tampa; Toledo; and Washington, D.C.. The company's prominent television and web ads feature the recognizable "Empire Man" character.

Empire Man

The Empire Man was introduced in 1977 as a live action character and later adapted into a popular animated persona that has grown to become a cultural icon.[5] The Empire Man has been seen internationally in commercials and other media, has spawned a line of collectible bobblehead dolls and inspired the Chicago Cubs to declare an official "Empire Day" at Wrigley Field in 2007.[6]

The Empire Man was originally portrayed on television by Lynn Hauldren, a former ad executive, who continues to provide the voice of the animated character to this day.[7] Contrary to popular belief, the Empire Man is not the company’s owner nor is he one of the installers. In the late 1970s, Hauldren was one of the advertising copywriting forces behind the Empire brand. The company’s owner during the time requested that he serve as the on-air talent for the spots after unsuccessfully auditioning several other people for the role.[citation needed] Hauldren also wrote and recorded the tune used as the company’s famous jingle.[citation needed]

Advertising jingle

Empire Today's advertising jingle, which has been broadcast since 1977, is a widely recognized meme.[3] It has been covered in concert by such platinum selling recording artists as Pearl Jam. An Empire Today commercial is featured in the opening segment of the feature film Wayne's World starring Saturday Night Live alums Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, where the character Benjamin (Rob Lowe) and his partner (Ione Skye) are watching television. The song has been featured on Late Night with Conan O'Brien during his 2006 visit to Chicago, in which Conan stated that "It is impossible to live in the Chicagoland area and not know the song by heart". The Apprentice contestant Aimee Trottier told Chicago Magazine that what qualifies someone as a true Chicagoan is knowing the Empire Today Jingle by heart.[8]. On a 2008 episode of The Tom Leykis Show on KLSX, 97.1 FM Talk in Los Angeles, discussion of the Empire Today jingle and some of its history was featured as the lead-in topic of a show on advertising jingles. The Empire Today jingle was played twice on this special episode.

The jingle is simply a small mixed gender vocal group singing out the digits of the telephone number. The original Chicago-centered version was only the seven-digit number:

"588-2300, Em-pire!"

As the chain expanded nationally in 2002 (though it was first used in a commercial in 1996), the same tune was used for the seven digits, with a three-note prefix, for the company's toll-free number:

"800-588-2300, Em-pire!"

After the company name was changed to Empire Today in 2003, a new recording of the jingle was sung, with a lower pitch, less people (majority female), and was sung fast, to make way for the word "Today", as sung "Em-pire To-day!". Within months, a finalized, more official re-recording returns the jingle to most of its original structure, preferring now to implement the spoken word "Today" (voiced by Hauldren) after the chorus, followed by a new short, synthesized "drumbeat" to conclude the jingle.

According to the company, this phone number is one of the 10 most recognized phone numbers in the United States, and the jingle is among the 7 most recognized in the US.[3][9] Prior to the 800 number, the company had the same telephone number locally in the Chicago area, "five eight eight, two three-hundred", which aired frequently on Chicago superstation WGN-TV.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jingle Fever". Replacement Contractor Magazine. 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  2. ^ "Top 50 Retailers 2010". Floor Covering Weekly. 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Empire Today, LLC. "About Us". Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  4. ^ Empire Today, LLC. "General FAQs". Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Empire Today's icon character 'Empire Man' celebrates 30th anniversary". Weatherford Democrat. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  6. ^ "Empire Today Honored at Historic Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs Declare "Empire Day"". Home Renovation Guide. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  7. ^ "Chicagoland Memories". Lisa's Web World. Retrieved 2 March 2006.
  8. ^ "Aimee Trottier - Chicago". Chicago Magazine. July 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  9. ^ "Empire Carpet Ads, Getting the Burnt Popcorn Smell of out Microwaves". NBC 4 News. 2003-04-24. Retrieved 2006-03-02.
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