Marketers Nail Hardware P-O-P

The National Hardware Show held annually in August, offers a high-profile stage for tool and building products manufacturers to strut their new products, new merchandising programs and end-of-year promotions. But this year, even more than in the past, marketers were focused on improving their packaging.Home centers and hardware stores represent difficult merchandising venues due to the large amount of information needed to explain the products. Often, customers don't know all of the elements they need or what product best meets their requirements. It's like going to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a recipe without knowing how the dish is made -- and in some cases without even knowing how to cook. And relying on in-store help to fill the gap can often be problematic.Marketers realize they need to understand how the customer shops and explain the products better, while keeping in mind that retailers want small packages in three languages. The result is simplified, icon-based instructions, color coding of related products and good/better/best schemes. A proliferation of four-color application photos and brighter graphics are also coming to the fore. Consider these examples:GE Lighting, Cleveland, announced that it is introducing new packaging for its family of Mercury, High-Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs. The format includes a closed-box design, replacing the open-end style, along with color coding by bulb type and trilingual descriptions. The bulbs, which formerly were sold as singles, will also be provided in a new four-pack tray."Our new packaging simplifies the buying decision for the non-technical consumer," explains Scott E. Wiley, associate product manager. "We've taken an otherwise complex product line and made it understandable to the average customer." Contractors and other frequent purchasers will recognize the traditional commercial sleeve wrapping the lamp inside the box, he says, while the new exterior box gives the bulbs more protection in the retail environment.The gradated color coding by bulb family provides a bright, clean design that helps the products stand out on the shelf. In addition, because some different lamp profiles look the same, enhanced packaging with line-art graphics shows the bulb's profile. Application suggestions have also been added to ensure the customer is buying the right lamp.Rayovac Corp., Madison, Wis., unveiled new packaging graphics for its Maximum brand alkaline batteries. The design features a large gold lightning bolt with radiant red highlights behind the brand name. Focus groups indicated a 3-to-1 preference for the graphics over the former look, says Deanne Boegli, a company spokeswoman. The battery labels were also changed to promote the Maximum brand name.The change, which is being supported by a $25 million ad campaign that began in August, is part of a revamping of all packaging graphics across the Rayovac product line, Boegli says. In the Heavy Duty line of batteries, for instance, new labeling on the batteries features a deep blue background for the yellow "Heavy Duty" line and a bright red thunderbolt. The simplified graphics and focus on basic type results in "a packaging display that communicates value and enhanced performance when compared to alkaline technology," she explains.Similarly, the company took the opposite approach for its rechargeable alkaline packaging, providing four-color scenic backdrops on blister cards while also reducing the size of the cards, Boegli says. "The smaller, standard-size cards and an upward tilt to the logo make this packaging more functional and easier to set on a planogram."Krylon Specialty Products, a division of Diversified Brands, Solon, Ohio, has produced a new label design for its 24 Krylon specialty paints, which covers more than 120 color variations. The key element in the package is a four-color photo that depicts each paint's intended use. The goal is to help retailers decide where to cross merchandise the product and to help customers determine which product they need."There are over 100 items, but the packaging product identification makes buying decisions simple and gives the consumer an easier shopping experience," says Adam J. Chafe, hardware product manager at Diversified Brands. "Our research shows that labels with application-based photography and text are more effective, so we're confident this will help consumers choose the best paint for their projects."Wells Lamont, Niles, Ill., has redesigned the ticketing program for its men's work gloves to create a basic good/better/best presentation that stands out with the help of icons and labeling. "We see this new program as an opportunity for retailers to educate the consumer on considering these issues when choosing gloves," says Chuck Holmgren, product manager for work gloves.The key difficulty consumers face in the glove aisle, explains Gorden Garrett, vice president of marketing, is that most displays present "a sea of gloves that creates visual over-load. It's hard to know which glove is right for the type of work being done. At the same time, retailers had no indicators for how to present the gloves, which resulted in departments that weren't terribly well organized."To overcome that, the gloves were divided into "Basics," "Originals" and "Professional" grades, with a different four-color still-life photo to emphasize the labeling. In addition, men's gloves were given black labeling, while women's feature a magenta strip and kid's have a blue one.CooperTools, Raleigh, N.C., has revamped its Weller brand of propane products to feature easy-to-understand graphic icons complete with color coding by application. For instance, blue icons denote propane, black represents brazing fuel and red stands for oxygen. In addition, self-igniting torches are differentiated from standard models with yellow letters on an orange wave.The company has also changed the basic packaging format for many of the products as well, notes spokesman Keith Hobbs. The new design features a tri-fold clamshell that allows the display packs to be hung on pegs or merchandised freestanding.Flexibility RulesThe shift to flexible packaging represents another change many companies are making in their displays as well as packaging. Although many product marketers are aware of the clout of the major warehouse home centers that want bulk product that immediately can be moved to the aisle, they also realize the smaller guys -- represented by the major hardware cooperatives -- represent significant product sales, too. The result is more emphasis on flexibility to meet various sizes of display needs and less focus exclusively on what the big boxes require.That was the approach taken by Broan Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Wis. The company, a maker of range hoods, bath fans, medicine cabinets and fluorescent lighting products, emphasized it was changing its attitude more than its displays. "We're trying to move away from 'one size fits all,'" says spokesman Keith Lester. "These new merchandising concepts are designed to provide flexibility for the retailer who has limited display space."Last year, the company introduced a major gondola program aimed at showing its entire line of doorbells. This year, it's emphasizing the ability to customize units to adapt to four-, six- and eight-foot increments. Consumer-oriented graphics, product features and benefits, and installation instructions are prominent on headers. The signage and racking systems also better emphasize the existing good/better/best product orientation.CCX Fiberglass Products, Walterboro, S.C., offers its customizable format for its WallSpan drywall joint tapes, repair fabric and reinforcement mesh. "We wanted to give retailers the advantage of a customized merchandising program," says Rich Kicak, national sales manager. "The flexibility gives us the ability to work around the retailer's needs while capturing customer attention."Here, too, packaging has been redesigned to aid in that effort. "Packaging is of course a very important component of our merchandising program," Kicak says. That resulted in bright, colorful signage and bilingual packaging to create customer awareness supported with instructional photographs, illustrations and step-by-step guidelines. "It's a complete system geared to accommodate the retailer through the end user."P-O-P for WholesalersBuilding-product marketers are also keeping an eye on the wholesale market. Although not as prevalent, especially at a retail-oriented show, it was obvious that companies realize that wholesale outlets are attracting a more diverse customer base, and their interest in more detailed P-O-P materials is growing.Certainly that's the case at plumbing wholesalers, where the concept of the large, vignette-oriented showroom has become commonplace. "The plumbing wholesalers are well past the basics level when it comes to showcasing displays," says Jeffrey C. Ackerberg, director of marketing for Sterling Plumbing Group, Rolling Meadows, Ill. "They understand the value of brand presentation and explanation of product differentiation. Their needs in many ways are no different than the retail market for these products."Another company keenly aware of that is cabinet hardware maker, Amerock Corp., Rockford, Ill. At the show, the company introduced wall-hung framed displays for use in cabinet showrooms as well as in cabinet departments of home centers. A large version measures 27 inches wide by 31 inches high and accommodates 36 selector panels that can be removed and used by customers as they select hardware to match their cabinet styles. A smaller version measures 24 inches wide by 16 inches high and accommodates 40 knobs that are stationary.Both of these display boards coordinate with the company's bin merchandiser system, which has been expanded to offer a good/better/best selection, according to spokesman Loren Heinzeroth. A 49-piece "Better" upgrade line was announced at the show and the existing "Best" selection was expanded to 45 pieces. All are offered on panels for inclusion in the bin merchandising program at home centers.Such flexibility and adaption to providing more information quickly is keeping marketers busy. Even more, it is focusing attention on the value of proper packaging."The packaging field is growing very quickly," says Dr. Diana Twede of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. "It's a very visible field with a lot of innovations still to come. Good packaging engineers are very much in demand, and it will remain a strong career choice for graduates."

Marketers Nail Hardware P-O-P

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