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Ruggable is quietly reworking the rulebook many DTC brands once followed: pour cash into performance ads, measure last-click conversions, rinse and repeat. The washable-rug maker is shifting dollars toward creators and broader brand channels, betting that a creator-led strategy can deliver both sales and visibility as paid-ad returns wane.
Why Ruggable is pulling back from traditional performance ads
Ruggable’s marketing team began redirecting ad dollars about a year ago. The goal: reduce reliance on platforms that once drove cheap conversions. Instead, the brand is testing a mix of influencer partnerships and connected TV to drive awareness and long-term growth.
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Key moves include:
- Cutting roughly 10% of media spend from performance channels and reallocating it to creator and CTV efforts since last August.
- Planning to increase investment in brand channels by another 15–20% next year.
- Removing lower-performing affiliate placements while leaning into more direct creator relationships.
ShopMy: creators as a direct conversion engine
Ruggable teamed up with ShopMy to enable creators to drive transactions more directly. Rather than treating creators only as awareness drivers, the brand is using affiliate-style creator links to capture sales.
The results were immediate. In the first month of the ShopMy partnership, Ruggable generated about $3 million in revenue. That number grew quickly, multiplying in the following months as the program scaled.
Marketing leaders say ShopMy has outpaced some paid channels when it comes to purchase behavior. In practice, creators who know the product and audience can convert at scale, making creator spend a performance-minded brand play.
How the creator strategy is organized
Ruggable has split creator work into two clear tracks to balance scale and brand lift.
- Affiliate creators: Hundreds of makers who post product-focused content and use tracking links. Ruggable sets basic creative and product guidelines, then lets creators adapt content to their voice.
- Brand ambassadors: Selected partners who collaborate on limited-run products, larger campaigns, or act as long-term spokespeople.
Operational overhead has also changed. Tasks once managed by a small team of people sifting DMs and spreadsheets are now consolidated. One person manages much of the ShopMy creator workflow, freeing budget for other brand initiatives.
What the brand asks of creators
- Content parameters around format and cadence.
- Designation of which products to promote.
- Freedom for creators to craft their own messaging within guidelines.
This approach aims to preserve creator authenticity while keeping campaigns measurable.
Budget shifts and channel trade-offs
Last holiday season, Ruggable reallocated more than $1 million away from Meta ads and funneled those funds into the ShopMy creator program. The brand sees creator-driven commerce as a way to displace underperforming affiliate channels.
Beyond creators, Ruggable is investing in connected television as part of a wider brand push. The mix mirrors traditional media buys, where companies balance premium, negotiated placements with programmatic long-tail buys.
Industry view: creators becoming a holistic media lever
Experts note the shift is part of a broader trend. Brands that once treated influencer activity as PR are now integrating creators into performance marketing.
Noah Eisemann, a leader in creator strategy at VML, says marketers are recognizing efficiencies in creator programs and building them into larger media plans. The move is less about replacing one tactic with another.
Instead, brands are folding creators into multi-pronged strategies that match business objectives. That can mean using affiliate creators to drive transactions while ambassadors build reputation and reach.
Longer-term plans and growth signals
Ruggable is preparing for a bigger corporate milestone in the coming years. With an IPO on the horizon, the company is prioritizing brand awareness alongside conversion.
To support that, Ruggable is developing an internal ambassador program aimed at cultivating sustained partnerships with interior designers and niche creators tied to home décor. The effort is designed to build long-term equity, not just short-term sales.
As brands mature, their use of creators is shifting from one-off activations to structured, scalable systems. Ruggable’s approach illustrates how a DTC company can blend creator-led performance with traditional brand investments to pursue both revenue and recognition.
