Klarinet Archive - Posting 000871.txt from 2000/08

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Marketing issues
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 14:49:54 -0400

--- "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.net> wrote:

> Because plastics were and are used so extensively for student instruments
> (some of which are poorly made), it will be very difficult for them to
> overcome this consumer resistance.

This is precisely the phenomenon which plagued Black & Decker relative
to their powered tool products.** B&D had developed such a strong _fa-
vorable_ reputation in their household-tools market segment, tradesmen
and industrial users (the professionals) were unwilling to put faith
in B&D products. Brand identity for B&D was too strongly identified
with the amateur craftsman, which translated to "professionally un-
worthy." The tradesmen were, instead, buying Makita, Wagner, and
other "professional-grade" brands instead. The solution? B&D sub-
branded their tradesmen-level tools under the name "DeWalt," thereby
establishing a branding 'disconnect' from their household market seg-
ment, allowing professional tradesmen to feel comfortable buying B&D
tools without feeling "wimpy" about it. DeWalt power tools are, to
this day, considered among the most rugged and highest quality pro-
level power tools on the market, even though it is clearly printed
(in small letters) below the brand name of Dewalt, "Serviced and
Distributed by Black & Decker." They also changed the color from
traditional B&D grey to "safety" bright yellow.

Before this move, tradesmen would not have been caught dead on the
construction site with one of those "silly" Black & Decker power tools.
Marketing is indeed a powerful element in the business world.

Neil

** Taken from a Harvard MBA case study on the resolution of Black &
Decker's market share woes in the industrial and professional trades-
men market segments. "DeWalt" may actually be spelled "DeWault".
I don't quite remember.

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