Innovation Is a Good Way to Maintain Market Presence


The Jumbo-Koter venture is a good example of the development of a successful new product by solving a consumer problem. The Wooster Brush Company identified the difficulty that painters were having because their minirollers were sticking after a few uses. The new Jumbo-Koter mini-rollers solved that problem by using a smooth-turning cage frame. Wooster Brush further improved these mini-rollers by using high-quality fabrics from its highly successful nine-inch rollers. Finally, by not extending fabric over the end of the new mini-rollers, Jumbo-Koter enabled the painter to get into tighter spaces than with traditional mini-rollers. This also prevented paint from spinning off onto another surface.

One lesson to be learned from the Jumbo-Koter program is that innovationis a good way for a company to maintain its presence in the marketplace . The Wooster Brush Company has made a notable effort to continue to innovate, developing truly beneficial products in a very stodgy, old-fashioned business for many years . The Jumbo-Koter product line is a good example of this. This continuous innovation has enabled the company to compete successfully without participating in industry price wars. At the time of this writing, the Wooster Brush Company was in the process of developing additional new products to meet the paint application needs of its customers.

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Summary Marketing Plan for: Wooster Jumbo-Koter TM Wooster Brush Company [1] 2002

MARKETING PLAN SUMMARY

  1. BACKGROUND. Many painters have problems with their mini-rollers. Because these rollers are smaller than traditional rollers, they are great for getting paint into tight places and corners. On the other hand, the small size of the roller sometimes causes it to stick after a certain number of uses. Painters often become frustrated when they have to drag a stuck mini- roller down a wall. This consumer problem led to a whole new product line called the Jumbo-Koter, and to a marketing plan that effectively leveraged the strengths of the Wooster Brush Company.

  2. MARKET REVIEW. The paint applicator industry is made up of a relatively small number of companies, and it changes only slightly from year to year. A trend identified by Wooster Brush was the influx of foreign competition into the mini-roller market. Because of the effectiveness of using a mini-roller for detail painting jobs, the market for these small rollers was growing. As this was happening, several manufacturers were importing mini-rollers from China and other offshore sources. Wooster Brush was being forced to compete with these lower-priced imports.

  3. CONSUMER USAGE AND ATTITUDES. A program of store interviews and personal observations enabled Wooster Brush management to determine that mini-rollers were gaining market share and were eroding paintbrush usage more and more. Consumers represent the bulk of the unit sales; however, they tend to buy what is available and recommended in paint and hardware stores, and these stores typically display and recommend what is used by professional contractors. Through quantitative and qualitative research, Wooster Brush learned that painting contractors generally perceived Jumbo-Koter as a significant improvement over the mini-rollers that were currently available in the market.

  4. PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS. Prior to launching Jumbo-Koter, the management of Wooster Brush made a series of assumptions regarding the outcome of the implementation. The following is a list of the key planning assumptions made by Wooster Brush Company:

    1. Paint and hardware stores will generally accept distribution of Jumbo-Koter because of the success these retailers have had with previous new products from Wooster Brush.

    2. The fabric on Jumbo-Koter rollers will be accepted by professionals and consumers.

    3. Professional painters will want to use Jumbo-Koter mini-rollers.

    4. Pricing on Jumbo-Koter will be accepted as long as the price points are similar to those of the low-priced mini-rollers currently on the market.

    5. Should Jumbo-Koter not be successful, Wooster Brush will still be able to capture a share of the mini-roller market with its current mini-roller system.

    6. Over the next few years, Jumbo-Koter could make it possible to eliminate the old miniroller system.

  5. KEY STRATEGIC MARKETING OBJECTIVES. Based on the above planning assumptions, the management of Wooster Brush set up a series of specific key strategic marketing objectives for the Jumbo-Koter venture. The following are the key strategic marketing objectives set by the management of the Wooster Brush Company:

    1. To entice consumers and professionals to purchase a mini-roller system that is not interchangeable with other mini-roller systems.

    2. To get the majority of the twenty-four different Jumbo-Koter rollers and two frames into broad-scale distribution.

    3. To time the expansion of distribution so that production is able to keep up with retail sales.

    4. To achieve specific sales volume objectives that will enable the venture to pay back the investment in new equipment within a specific time frame.

    5. To launch the Jumbo-Koter line nationally in the initial distribution targets within three months.

    6. To overcome the potential objection by retailers and customers that the Jumbo-Koter covers do not have a fabric covering on the end of the rollers.

  6. MARKETING PLAN ELEMENTS

    1. Brand name . The new mini-roller system was launched under the overall brand name Wooster Jumbo-Koter. This name appeared on all packaging and display header signs. Also, seven additional names were used to differentiate the different type of covers: Super Fab TM , Pro Doo-Z TM , Mohair Blend TM , 50/50 TM , Super Twist TM , Painter s Choice TM , and Pro Foam TM . The overall brand name strategy was to leverage the power of the current Wooster Brush image.

    2. Product line. Jumbo-Koter is a comprehensive line of twenty-four different mini-rollers and two different frames. The short-handle frame has a 14-inch handle, and the longhandle frame has a 261/2-inch handle. Both of these are cage frames, which turn much better than the traditional wire frames. Both the short-handle frame and the longhandle frame have a 4-inch arm, even though there are 41/2- and 61/2-inch roller covers. A unique button on the end of all of the 61/2-inch roller covers plugs into the frame, enabling the frame to be used with both the 41/2- and the 61/2-inch roller covers. The fabrics used for the roller covers vary and are differentiated by brand name, pile, and width. Most of the covers are packed two per package, although there are some covers that are packed six per package.

    3. Pricing strategy. The Jumbo-Koter product line was set up with a different price point for each of the different products in the line. The pricing strategy was to hit the price points of the low-priced imported competition. Management felt that if Jumbo-Koter s prices were within a few pennies of those of the low-priced imports, it would have the advantage. Jumbo-Koter mini-rollers were launched at lower prices than domestic products, including other Wooster Brush mini-rollers. When the program was launched, a 10 percent introductory allowance was offered on the entire line.

    4. Sales and distribution methods . The Wooster Brush Company sells its products through a national network of distributors and buying groups. It does have some direct accounts; Lowe s and Home Depot, for example, are direct accounts. Jumbo-Koter was to be sold into national distribution by the Wooster Brush Company s sales force and network of service personnel.

    5. Advertising copy strategy. The objective of the Jumbo-Koter advertising was to communicate to paint and hardware stores that a new improved mini-roller was coming on the market and that this mini-roller would be available only from the Wooster Brush Company. Wooster used trade advertisements that took advantage of the strong reputation of the Wooster Brush Company name. These advertisements emphasized that these new mini-rollers rolled smoothly and required fewer trips to the paint bucket because they held more paint and did not stop rolling. The net result was less cost to the painter.

    6. Advertising media strategy. Jumbo-Koter advertising was designed to be run in trade publications such as Do-It-Yourself Retailing and other magazines targeted to paint and hardware stores. There was no consumer advertising of Jumbo-Koter. One- and twopage spreads were placed in these magazines at the time of the product launch.

    7. Sales promotion. The line was launched with incentives for retailers to use a display with the Jumbo-Koter line. These discounts were to be offered at pro shows and at distributor shows. A consumer discount was also offered upon introduction of the program. A premium pack that included a frame and six roller covers in a box was to be sold during the product launch. It was to be put on a counter or on the rack. The consumer bought the six covers and got the frame free.

    8. Publicity. Public relations was also used to introduce Jumbo-Koter. A press release was sent to all of the key trade publications prior to placement of the print advertising. Wooster Brush Company management anticipated that a significant number of articles would result from this press release because Wooster Brush was a regular advertiser in all of these magazines. The press release introduced Jumbo-Koter as a new product from the Wooster Brush Company and included the major points from the advertising copy.

    9. In-store merchandising . It was felt that a key to success in getting the full Jumbo-Koter product line into retail stores was an in-store display program. The cornerstone of this program was a two- foot freestanding merchandiser that included the full Jumbo-Koter product line. Wooster Brush would give the rack free to retailers. A piece of literature for the consumer was included with the display.

    10. Timetable. After Wooster Brush pushed the button on a major development effort, it took eighteen months to complete. It took another three months to achieve the initial national distribution. At the time of this writing, Jumbo-Koter has been in national distribution for one year.

  7. FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS. The financial projections were conservative in that they did not include any estimates of sales from the large national accounts such as Lowe s or Home Depot. Only sales from paint and hardware stores were included. The reason for this was to add stability to the forecasts. Wooster Brush management felt that it could confidently predict potential sales from the traditional paint and hardware stores, based on a long history with these accounts. Predictions for the large national accounts were much less reliable. Management did not want to develop production capacity based on speculative assumptions.

  8. CONTINGENCY PLANS. A pricing contingency plan was set up in case the competition decided to lower its prices in response to this program. Wooster Brush management decided that it would not reduce the Jumbo-Koter prices if that were to happen. Management felt that by the time the competition was able to implement a price reduction, Wooster Brush would have established the Jumbo-Koter line as a viable one in the market. It felt that most customers would continue to purchase Jumbo-Koter products at the initially established price.

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[1] Wooster and Jumbo-Koter are trademarks of The Wooster Brush Company, and are used with permission.




Powerhouse Marketing Plans(c) 14 Outstanding Real-Life Plans and What You Can Learn from Them to Supercharge [... ]aigns
Powerhouse Marketing Plans(c) 14 Outstanding Real-Life Plans and What You Can Learn from Them to Supercharge [... ]aigns
ISBN: 735621675
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 172

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