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.
New Product Launches at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas
MMNPL Reporter and VP of Schneider Associates’ Home Products Practice Ashley DePaolo traveled to the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas earlier this month and got the scoop from exhibitors about new product introductions on display at the show. Ashley recorded video interviews with representatives from stalwarts like 3M, Ingersoll-Rand, Duck Tape, EZ Lawn and Garden and the Money Pit team, as well as brands like PIC Pest Free Living, Mr. Longarm, Lead Check, Command Brand, iTouchless and Xodus Innovations. Check out this mashup-style intro to all the fun, festivities and fantastic new products at the 2012 National Hardware Show.
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.
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.
A product launch that we are watching for possible inclusion in the 2012 MMNPL is the newest body spray from Axe.
Axe, the body spray and grooming brand by Unilever, famous for its ads that turn average young men into heroic “girl-magnets,” recently launched the newest addition to its line of body sprays: Anarchy, a scent marketed towards men andwomen.
The campaign, by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, focuses on the idea of chaos and commotion, using dramatic online and print advertisements to stir up attention. The online promotion kicked-off with a teaser commercial, also seen in movie theaters, which featured the “Anarchy” concept without revealing the new product for women.
Social media, specifically the Axe Facebook page, played a key role in unleashing the “anarchist” scent. Up until the launch, Facebook users were greeted with a countdown to the fragrance release using the text “Anarchy is coming.” Free samples were distributed before the product hit stores for Facebook users who answered all of the questions correctly on an Axe quiz.
Axe also launched an original graphic novel in partnership with Aspen Comics, appropriately titled “Anarchy,” via YouTube and Facebook. The graphic novel, “Anarchy Girl,.” Was created with fan feedback in real time, with Axe consumers voting on the comic’s plotline, characters and other aspects online through Axe’s social media channels. Some lucky fans also had comic versions of themselves featured in the novel after “liking” specific Axe Facebook posts or contributing their ideas.
To elaborate on their “Are you ready for unexpected attraction at every turn?” marketing campaign, Axe produced their usual suggestive commercial: a female police officer chasing a male robber through the city, only to meet with an incredible force of attraction at the end of the ad.
A limited edition release, the question is will the body spray make women forgo their normal stand-by and make Axe Anarchy body spray their new choice? Barret Roberts, Senior Brand Manager at Axe, told the New York Times, “We’ve been hearing for some time that females have been asking for and looking for their very own scent of Axe.”
At SA, we believe this is not anarchy, just smart marketing.
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.
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.
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.
Here’s another product we’re keeping our eye on for the MMNPL.
New Balance is toeing the line on the minimalist running craze with its Spring 2011 release of its Minimus – a product that fits the trend but is steeped in consumer insights and research.
“NB Minimus is a barefoot-inspired line of shoes created specifically for runners seeking a truly minimalist experience,” said Katherine Petrecca, the manager for the new line. “We view these shoes very much as tools that encourage better running form, and help strengthen the legs and feet. As important, a great minimal shoe should deliver increased ground feel and control, which is what makes them so much fun to use.”
You don’t have to be a competitive runner to use a Minimus shoe, either. New Balance created three different shoes for different uses: Minimus Road, Minimus Trail and Minimus Wellness. The first two are self-explanatory while the Minimus Wellness is intended as a shoe that doesn’t have to be used just for exercise.
This isn’t the first line of shoes to hit the minimalist market. The Merrell Barefoot shoes, the Vibram Five Fingers and the Mizuno Universe Wave 3 racing flats all have a healthy following among runners. However, what sets the NB Minimus apart from its competitors is its reliance on incorporating feedback from real minimalist running enthusiasts into their designs.
A video on their website shows Team New Balance ultra-marathoner Anton Krupicka describing how he had begun cutting the soles off of his running shoes in frustration because he could not find a shoe with a small enough drop, and the other minimalist shoes available weren’t protective enough. This led to an “aha!” moment for New Balance’s designers: Send prototypes to real runners and encourage them to make modifications to the shoes and send them back. The result? A minimalist shoe made by runners, for runners.
The minimalist movement is all about providing the most natural running experience, and that means using a shoe that feels like it’s barely there. Its growth is thanks in large part to the research done by Dr. Daniel Lieberman at Harvard University, which found that the most experienced (read: best) runners avoid landing on their heels to minimize impact and maximize energy and endurance. It is also based on the ideas in Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run.
The NB Minimus design is ultralight (under 8.5 ounces) and incredibly low to the ground with just a 4 mm drop from the heel to the forefoot.
New Balance took all of the research and information they had gathered in developing the Minimus and created educational launch events which promised “There’s a better way to run. Learn to train more efficiently, to keep you on the road, to run longer, faster, and more comfortably than ever before.” These events were designed to advocate for minimalist running, teach proper form and to dispel some of the myths around the minimalist movement.
By integrating customers into the development of their product, and positioning themselves as an expert in the minimalist running category, New Balance has definitely created and launched a line of products designed to go the distance.
Schneider Associates (SA) is a full service public relations firm that specializes in Launch Public Relations®. SA launches products, services, companies, and communities for clients ranging from entrepreneurial firms to the nation's largest corporations. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
Sentient Decision Science
Sentient Decision Science was created to bring the visionary advances from the behavioral sciences to the business community in a practical and accessible format in order to move global business forward. Sentient's mission is to become the most sought after resource for behavioral insight by providing unrivaled business advantage to their clients and advancing human knowledge on the drivers of behavior.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
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