3M’s New Lead Check Products Aim To Make Lead Detection Quicker

MMNPL’s Ashley DePaolo stopped by the 3M booth at the 2012 National Hardware Show to learn about their new product Lead Check.

Ashley DePaolo: Alright so Mona tell me your name, title, and what you do at 3M.

Mona Jannahuskey: My name is Mona Jannahuskey and I’m a technical manager in the construction and home improvement markets laboratory, and I have responsibility for our scotch blue masking tape products, our duct tape products and the product we’re going to be talking about today.

Ashley: Great! So tell me about lead check.

Mona: Okay, so we have this product out that’s called Lead Check, and it’s the first product that was recognized by the EPA to test for lead on metal and wood, and recently it has just been recognized by the EPA for drywall and plaster. So, that’s been a huge boom for our contractors.

Ashley: When the product first launched I assume that, and you know correct me if I’m wrong here, that you were probably more focused on the contractor market?

Mona: Yes definitely. Because there was a ruling that came out, an RRP ruling- Renovation, Repair and Painting- that came out that said that pre-1978 homes had to be checked for lead before any renovation had to be done. And these contractors, if they found lead, had to be certified in order to do the renovation.

Ashley: Then over the evolution of the product being available in the marketplace, has your focus at all shifted to the consumer so they can sort of check their own house?

Mona: Yes. We do have what is called a Lead Check Screen, and that’s going to be something that’s coming out so they’ll be able to take a look into toys and just get an idea if there is something there then you should be contacting a contractor that is skilled and has been trained in renovation for lead

Ashley: So tell me, where is Lead Check available?

Mona: This product is available in most of the major home centers.

Ashley: And what’s the price point?

Mona: You can do this test for about um $5 a swab so we have a 2 pack and we have an 8 pack the 8 pack retails for about $24.99 and the 2 pack is right around the $10 point.

Ashley: Great! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.

Mona: Thank you.

Check back soon for more interviews, videos and product demos from the 2012 National Hardware Show.

MMNPL checks out iTouchless at NHS 2012

MMNPL’s Ashley DePaolo learns all about iTouchless’ line of touch-free toilet seats, trash cans and other products at the 2012 National Hardware Show.

Keep checking back here for more interviews and videos from NHS 2012.

What’s next for food marketers? More Migration Marketing.

What’s next for food marketers? More Migration Marketing.

Foodpreneur Dom Celentano interviews product launch expert Julie Hall about a continuing trend of migration marketing, where food brands and manufacturers create products for new consumer audiences and retail channels. Recent examples highlighted include QSR chains like IHOP and Olive Garden creating supermarket grocery products. The article discusses how for food marketers, brand and product positioning is essential.

Read more about the Migration Marketing trend.

Launch Expert Julie Hall Adds 5th “P” – Participation – to the Classic 4 P’s of Marketing

The Holmes Report featured an op-ed by Schneider Associates’ EVP and Launch Expert Julie Hall about how social media is changing the way we launch new products.

Hall and Schneider Associates introduced the Most Memorable New Product Launch (MMNPL) Survey in 2002, and since then, the poll has surveyed thousands of consumers about the most memorable product launches each year, analyzed media consumption and purchasing habits, and predicted trends based on the results.

Hall highlighted one significant change in this year’s MMNPL findings: “Facebook was nowhere near the top 10 sources of information about new products – and in the span of one year, it became the third most used source of information on new product launches, jumping from 17% to 40%. And this is just Facebook.”

Based on this and other findings, Hall coined the fifth P in the product marketer’s arsenal – Participation (the original four: product, price, promotion and place). Hall insists that consumers can be engaged by “Relationship Marketing,” which allows them to interact more closely with brands and products they love. Going forward, campaigns must consist of a blend of participatory marketing through various sources of old and new, traditional and social media marketing techniques in order to succeed.

Read the full article here.

If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR.

Food Expert Dom Celentano Reports on the Most Memorable New Product Launch 2011 Webinar

For the second year in a row, About.com Food and Beverage expert Domenick Celentano covered the MMNPL survey webinar and gave his thoughts on some food product launches in his recap. Celentano discussed the concept of co-creation for new products in the early stages of development through social media, and the importance of word-of-mouth, noting “New product launches in food will never be the same.”

In Dom’s full review of the Webinar, he provided additional highlights about some of the most memorable food launches of 2011 such as Reese’s Minis, Philadelphia Cooking Crème, Baileys Coffee Creamer and DiGiorno Pizza and Cookies. Dom also discusses noteworthy statistics from the survey pointing to the changing landscape in food product development and launch, such as the huge increase in the use of Facebook as a source of information on new products.

Make sure to read the recap  as well as Celentano’s full review  of the MMNPL New Product Launch 2011 survey!

Register Now for the Most Memorable New Product Launch LIVE Webinar

With over 40,000 products launched each year, how can you make sure your next new product launch gets noticed?

Join Schneider Associates’ EVP and Launch Expert, Julie Hall, and Chief Behavioral Scientist for Sentient Decision Science, Aaron Reid, Ph.D., for the Most Memorable New Product Launch LIVE Video Webinar, Thursday February 9^th from 2:00 p.m. – 3:oo p.m.

Julie and Aaron will provide insights on:

• Emerging trends in 2012 that will influence consumer awareness and purchasing behavior
• The five “must-do” marketing tactics influencing consumer purchasing today
• Why social marketing is driving trial and sales
• The Top Ten product launches of 2011, and what made them so successful
• The Top Ten product launches of the past decade and why they’ve remained relevant
• Top sources of information almost all consumers use to learn about new products

To register for this webinar, please click here or at the link above.

MMNPL 2011 Survey Featured in a USA Today Snapshot

A snapshot of the 2011 MMNPL survey results was featured in the January 18 edition of USA Today. The USA Today Snapshot, titled “Most Memorable Product Launches of 2011,” displays the top product launches of last year. The survey conducted by research partner Sentient Decision Science polled a national sampling of consumers who named the Kinect for Xbox 360 as the most memorable product launch of 2011, with Nintendo 3DS and the Chevy Volt (tied), and Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries rounding out the top three spots.

To read more about the 2011 MMNPL survey, Click Here.

MMNPL Product Preview: Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries with Sea Salt

Wendy’s made headlines this year when they launched their first fry redesign in the company’s 41-year history. Check out our video to see why Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries with Sea Salt launch campaign just might be spudtacular enough to be one of 2011′s Most Memorable New Product Launches.

MMNPL Product Preview: Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl

An impressive launch we’ve been watching this year is Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl. A revolutionary way to eat microwave popcorn, the bag opens on the side, making it the perfect disposable popcorn bowl. Check out the video below and our earlier blog post about the Pop Up Bowl to see why this product might pop up in this year’s MMNPL top ten.

MMNPL Product preview: Kinect for XBox 360

Another launch we’re predicting will land in the top ten for this year’s Most Memorable New Product Launches is the Kinect for XBox 360. This revolutionary device transcends video games and loses those pesky remotes once and for all.

Check out our video on why we found the Kinect’s launch campaign truly memorable.