Empire Today

Background

Empire Today is a home improvement servicing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by Seymour Cohen in 1959 as Empire Plastic Covers, then expanded to home servicing in 1965, removing "Plastic Covers" from its name. In 2002, the company was sold, and then in January 2003, renamed itself to its current name, "Empire Today", after the slogan "Empire today, carpet tomorrow". In 2016, the company was sold to H.I.G. Capital, a private equity firm, for an undisclosed amount.

Empire Home Service

Contents

1st Tag (July 23, 1979-July 23, 1984)	2nd Tag (July 23, 1984-1986)	3rd Tag (1986-1989)	4th Tag (1989-May 1991)	5th Tag (May 16, 1991-August 5, 2004)	6th Tag (Late 2002-August 5, 2004)

Empire Today

Contents

1st Tag (August 2003-August 5, 2004)	2nd Tag (August 6, 2004-August 2015)	3rd Tag (August 2015-)

Empire Home Service, Inc.

1st Tag (July 23, 1979-July 23, 1984)

Visuals: Over a blue background, there is a stylized crown. Below is the text:

EMPIRE
588-2300

Variants:

For early variants, the logo is smaller, "CALL" is seen to the left of it, and "HOME SERVICE, INC." is seen under "EMPIRE".
- "CALL" can be omitted, or placed above the number instead.
- Additionally, "DAY OR NIGHT" can be seen above said text in some commercials.
The crown can also appear a few seconds into the end tag, with a "ding!" sound. This is prominent in commercials between 1980-1981.
Some versions have the text in the wrong place and with slightly different scaling, example: the Empire text be bigger than the number instead of the same size
Someones the background can be purple or darker blue.
A "window" of the commercial at the corner of the screen may also appear (one instance has the text "Ouch." fade-in at the bottom of the window).
One variant appears on "What's the Name?": the logo appears over a black background and is squeezed to the bottom of the screen, below the commercial window. The crown also appears after a few seconds.
Another variant exists where "588-2300" is simply superimposed onto the commercial with no additional text. This was seen on "Empire Carpet Commercial #15".
Starting in 1980, credit card logos for MasterCard, Visa and American Express appear on the end tag.
The endtag is sometimes superimposed onto the commercial. One commercial exists where it also fades, and another where the logo is blue.
A version appears on "Diner": this version does not have the crown, the logo is squeezed to the bottom, and "EMPIRE" fades in later, as the number was the only text visible at first. Also, the background is cyan instead of blue.
A similar superimposed version exists, but everything fades in at the same time.
1983-84 variants can show the Empire text and number without an outline.

Technique: Chyron graphics.

Audio: The Empire jingle: a barbershop quartet singing "Five-eight-eight, two-three-hundred, Empire!" with the last note held out. The jingle was composed by Elmer Lynn Hauldren, who also served as Empire's spokesman and mascot (where he portrays the Empire Carpet Man).

Audio Variants:

Sometimes, the jingle doesn't finish. Usually, this happens when Hauldren is announcing something else.
Sometimes, a ding sound can be heard as the logo appears, or when the crown appears in some variants.
Starting in 1982, the chorus is re-recorded, now sounding jollier.
Specific variants for some commercials include:
- "Yea! Boo!": The chorus is different and they cheer at the end.
- "Kiddie Look-Alike": A group of children or a chorus of children sing the jingle (with the "Empire!" also modified to say "Empire... today").
- "Piano": The first few notes are played on a piano, but the 1982 "Empire!" is played at the end.
In September 1983, a woman sings the jingle, over a pop-style instrumental.
Starting in October 1983, the chorus was altered (harmonized from the above variation). At the end, an electric bass note plays along with a drumbeat (a bass drum and hi-hat playing a note at the same time; derived from the above variation). Sometimes the bass note wont play.

Availability: It appeared on Empire commercials of the era, including "Yea! Boo!", "What's the Name?" and "Diner" (all using variants).

2nd Tag (July 23, 1984-1986)

Visuals: Over a cartoon Chicago city environment, a red carpet rolls in, carrying the yellow numbers "588-2300". As the carpet moves throughout the city, it becomes nighttime, as a large gold "EMPIRE" monument stands between two skyscrapers (Sears Tower, now Willis Tower; and the John Hancock Center) and illuminates. The carpet then fully unrolls and settles below it, as the monument shines.

Variants:

There is a variant specific to the "Dynamite Sale" commercials where the tag is squeezed into a smaller box over a smoke background, and text advertising a "DYNAMITE CARPET SALE" appears below.
- Similarly, another version exists where the logo squeezed into a split-screen with the said text below over a black background.
Some commercials have the logo shrunk down somewhere on the screen, to make room for advertising an additional benefit.
Like the previous tag, a version exists with credit card logos.
The commercial "Speed Up!" has the end tag played in warp-speed, with the audio sped-up as well.
On some shorter commercials, similar to the first superimposed variant of the 1979 tag, the carpet number animation is superimposed onto the commercial with no "EMPIRE" indicator.
In some commercials, the logo is still.

Technique: Cel animation and sometimes chyron effects.

Audio: The October 1983 Empire jingle.

Audio Variant: In some commercials, Hauldren can say something else after the jingle had been sung (examples include: "Empire today, carpet tomorrow."; or Hauldren himself simply announcing a sale).

Availability: Its first known appearance was in the 1984 commercial, "5 Years" in still form.

3rd Tag (1986-1989)

Visuals: Same as the last tag, but the logo now takes place in a starry night background with Chicago's skylines. At the center, a rainbow merges and forms, which reveal falling stars that form the "EMPIRE" monument from before. The camera stops, the carpet disappears with the phone number changing to a different font (Helvetica Bold), and the monument shines. Credit card logos appear below (starting in 1987, the credit card logos are arranged as: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover). On some later commercials, a copyright notice appears. Starting in late 1988, "(312)" is chyroned in.

Variants:

A still version exists on some commercials.
A short version exists. It starts when the rainbow forms: however, the jingle doesn't finish; the Empire Man just says "Empire." after the number is sung at the end, otherwise the "Empire!" part of the jingle is sung throughout this version.

Technique: Cel animation and chyron effects.

Audio: The October 1983 Empire jingle.

Audio Variants:

Like the last tag, the Empire Man can also announce something else after the jingle.
A variant without the jingle exists with a male barbershop quartet (replacing the jingle) singing "Why are you waiting?". Another variant without the jingle also exists with a somber violin/piano piece playing over the end part of the animation.

Availability: Seen at the end of commercials from the time. Its first appearance is on an unknown 1986 (likely between July and December of the same year) commercial. The "(312)" version first appeared on the "Is Time Running Out On You?" commercial. The "Why are you waiting?" variant appeared on "Get A Free Football With Order" and the violin/piano variant appeared on "Messing With That New York Company".

4th Tag (1989-May 1991)

Visuals: On a black background, the silver numbers "588-2300" slide one-by-one, onto the top half of the screen. A few seconds later, the silver word "EMPIRE" zooms out and rotates into view. As a rainbow forms in the background, a chyroned "(312)" (in Futura Bold) fades in on top of the number, and the text:

Empire today...
Carpet tomorrow

fades in below the logo. The logo shines. Credit card logos appear, in the same place as usual.

Variants:

Starting with "Carpet for the Holidays", the rainbow, the additional text, and the credit cards are absent. Also, "(312)" simply appears on screen, in a different font (Helvetica).
- Some commercials with this variant would have the text "24-hour phones" fade in at the bottom.
  - Fewer instances has the additional text fade in (one example is "No monthly payments until next year").
On some 10-second commercials, the first half of the tag is cut off.

Technique: CGI and chyron effects.

Audio: The October 1983 Empire jingle.

Audio Variant: On some 10-second commercials, the first half of the jingle is omitted. Usually, this is replaced by synth bells playing the "588-2300" part during the commercial before the shortened tag plays.

Availability: Its first appearance was on "Warehouse Sale Late 1980's". The later version first appeared on "Carpet for the Holidays".

5th Tag (May 16, 1991-August 5, 2004)

Visuals: It starts over a shot of a telephone, on top of a night stand. A woman picks it up and dials it. The logo zooms out to reveal an apartment room, with each of the furniture having no color and with sad faces drawn on them. An orange cat is sitting next to the woman. As the camera settles, a colored Empire Man busts through the door holding a blue carpet. He tosses it down, making everything in the room bounce and become colored as well. In addition, all of the sad faces turn happy. As that happens, inside the carpet is a white "EMPIRE", bouncing into the screen. Throughout the duration of the tag, a blue "588-2300" flies in one-by-one to the jingle, coming from the telephone. At the end, a line rotates to the left of the number, and expands to reveal "(312)".

Variants:

A short version exists where it begins with the second half of the tag.
Another short version exists where the animation is replaced by a still shot of the telephone, the text is already formed and "EMPIRE" is in blue.
The logo can sometimes be in warp-speed.
A variant simply has the "(312)" cheaply rotate in. First used on March 29, 1994.
Starting on September 13, 1994, the "(312)" is replaced with "(800)", which rotates in at the start of the end tag.
- An early version (first seen on August 5, 1994) has "1-800" animate instead, similar to how the (312) animates.
Some commercials starting in 1995 have the "EMPIRE" text slide up to make room for "TOLL FREE 24 HOUR PHONE SERVICE".
Starting on January 31, 1996, a URL may sometimes appear. It would then fade out to make room for the EMPIRE text.
Starting on March 2, 2002, the text below "EMPIRE" was changed to "CARPET AND WINDOW TREATMENTS". A URL is also shown below.
- Starting on May 9, 2002, a version of it exists where the text would also be in a different font and one of the words "AND" is replaced with an ampersand.
- Starting on August 12, 2002, another version of it also exists where the text may sometimes say "HOME SERVICES, LLC" instead.
Starting on January 6, 2003, "EMPIRE" is replaced with a computer-animated "EMPIRE TODAY" that simply slides in.
- The text that appears under can vary.
  - Three options are: "Carpet - Window Treatments" or "Custom Windows - Vinyl Siding" or "Laminate - Hardwood - Ceramic".
  - The text may appear in Spanish.
- A URL may just appear below.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: These are the following versions:

May 16, 1991-March 3, 1995: The October 1983 Empire jingle.
March 13, 1995-January 5, 2003: The October 1983 Empire jingle is used but this time in a new arrangement (this time sped-up to compensate for the "800" part): the chorus now sings "Eight-hundred, five-eight-eight, two-three-hundred, Empire!". This recording would later be reused for the current Empire Today jingle. An early version of the jingle exists from March 4 to 12, 1995: the jingle is sung by an off-key, fast-tempo chorus.
January 6-June 2003: To coincide with the company rename, a short-lived jingle uses the early March 1995 jingle except the chorus now sings "Eight-hundred, five-eight-eight, two-three-hundred, Empire Today!". On the "Rainbow Window Sheet Couple" commercial, after the jingle, Hauldren says "Call for windows and siding in a week, too."
Early June 2003-August 5, 2004: The late March 1995 jingle was reused (everything after "800" is now a semitone lower), with Hauldren saying "Today." at the end. The "Rainbow Window Sheet Couple" commercial has (after the jingle) Hauldren saying "Call for windows and siding in a week, too!".

Availability: The earliest known usage of this tag was in "Wilson Basketball", broadcast around May 1991.

6th Tag (Late 2002-August 5, 2004)

Empire Home Services (2002-2003)
Empire Today (2003-2004)

Visuals: On a blue blinded background, there is a image of a blue house in a box at the left side of the screen, next to the box is "Vinyl Siding & Windows in a Week", underneath both of them is "EMPIRE HOME SERVICES, LLC" along with an URL, on top of them are "800-588-2300", which first begins with a shine and then fades in one-by-one to the jingle.

Variant: In 2003, "EMPIRE HOME SERVICES, LLC" is replaced with "EMPIRE TODAY" along with the URL, "Vinyl Siding & Windows in a Week" is also replaced with "Custom Windows & Siding in a Week".

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: The 1995, March 2003, and June 2003 jingles.

Availability: This was used in commercials that promoted windows and gutters, used in tandem with the last tag and the next one.

Empire Today

1st Tag (August 2003-August 5, 2004)

2003 version
2004 version

Visuals: It's the same concept as the previous tag, except with the following differences:

The tag is in a cloudy background with brown carpet at the center of the screen.
The blue house picture is removed and is replaced with 2 pictures of several workers installing windows and gutters.
"800-588-2300" is in a different font and slightly larger, which they appear by flashing one-by-one to the jingle. The hyphens are also replaced with bullets.
"EMPIRE TODAY" is in blue, underneath it is "Custom Windows & Siding", with the URL appearing at the bottom.

Variant: In 2004, the tag was reworked.

"800-588-2300" is already in place before it flashes to blue one-by-one to the jingle.
The workers images were removed.
"Custom Windows & Siding" appears in the center of the screen, now larger and updated to say "Custom Windows Vinyl Siding".
"EMPIRE TODAY" and the URL are in the logo not until the ending bit of the jingle.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: The March 2003 Empire Today jingle.

Availability: This one was also used in Empire Today commercials that promoted windows and gutters, used in tandem with the fifth and sixth Empire tags.

2nd Tag (August 6, 2004-August 2015)

Visuals: It depends on the variant. On all animations, "800-588-2300" pop in one-by-one to the jingle, then it slides down to make way for "EMPIRE TODAY", as an animated Empire Man slides from the left of the screen, holding a suitcase reading the company name. He then says "Today!" as he raises his arm, syncing with the end of the jingle. Sometimes, the "45/50/Over 50 Years of Quality Service" tag appears.

Flooring (May 2005-2015): An animated Empire Man is seen holding a carpet. He then drops it down, and it unrolls onto the ground. As he shakes off his hands, another worker is seen installing window blinds. Then, the first worker grabs a large hardwood floor from the left and pulls it towards the carpet, with a couch on top of it. A cat then jumps on top of it, as the first worker sits back onto the ground and extends his arms, and the second closes the blinds. This is the most popular version.
Windows & Gutters (2005-2007): Three workers are working on the exterior of a 2-story house. One is installing gutters, another installing windows, a third installing wood siding.
All Services (August 2004-2007): It starts out as an inverted and faster version of Flooring's animation, but then the camera zooms out to reveal that it takes place inside of the 2-story house from the previous animation. Two men are seen working outside.

Technique: CGI done by Joe Doll Animation, who also animated the 1998 Kellogg's Rice Krispies sponsor bumper.

Audio: The June 2003 Empire Today jingle. A version adding piano/jazz drum music when the chorus sings "Empire!" was used from September 2005-June 2008, when it reverted to the previous version.

Availability: Seen on many commercials from the time period, as well as Empire's official upload of the tag itself. Check recordings from the time period for this one.

Legacy: By far, Empire's most well-known end tag. It has seen numerous memes involving the jingle and end tag, even from outside the logo community, and even after it got replaced by the next logo in August 2015.

3rd Tag (August 2015-)

Visuals: It's the same concept as the Flooring animation of the last tag, except with the following differences:

The tag now takes place in a larger model house that now has a kitchen and a hallway.
The animation is noticeably simpler.
The Empire Man now has brown hair instead of blonde.
The workers' hair are now also brown.
The phone number is black and fully 2D.

An animated Empire Man at the end walks up with a suitcase and jumps, transforming into a 2D version as "EMPIRE" slides in from the left next to the text. A smaller "TODAY" slides in from the right of it and flashes. A URL and website information appear below.

Technique: CGI.

Variants:

Later commercials showed the Empire Today text and number smaller.
Sometimes the URL may be in a different font.

Audio: The June 2003 Empire Today jingle.

Availability: Empire first introduced this tag in their Half Price Sale commercials which first aired in August of 2015, then uploading it standalone on November 4, 2015. It has since seen common use on television and numerous informational videos, such as "Why Empire?", to this day.