product development case study part 3e april 1, 2013

part 3 E of 7 part Case Study

1 Product development

Luxury brand Case Study

2

Notes

3

November 2012

Max Ruckman, Black & Decker HHI

Bill O’Connor, Source, Inc.

Bruce Eckman

Luxury Brand

Business

Development

Case Study Part 3 E

www.maxruckman.com

4

5 Brand visualization

Brand

name

development

6 Creative process

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7 Brand identity profile

8 Naming objectives

suggest architecturally inspired style

suggest the joy of discovery

suggest genuine, authentic

suggest partnership

preferences for real words in the language

9 Naming criteria

appropriate for door hardware, faucets and related extensions

preference for suggestive or fanciful vs. descriptive names

avoid initials, acronyms, names that can/will be shortened

appropriate for use in north america

all basic criteria legally available, easy to say, difficult to mispronounce, memorable, appealing

10 Preliminary searches conducted

11

recommendations

12 Generic statements evaluated

13

Brand names

Echoes Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

14 Brand names

Cadent Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

15 Brand names

Sequels Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

16 Brand names

Arcadian Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

17 Brand names

Signet Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

18 Brand names

Archetypes Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

19 Brand names

“Quotes” Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

20 Brand names

Re:visions Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

21 Brand names

Fusion Architecturally-Inspired Hardware and Fixtures

22 Brand names

23

Brand architecture

24 Brand architecture


for simplicity and clarity, collection names under the range brand should focus on the architectural style and be linked in language and format to the range brand…


…of

Craftsman

…of

Italian Tuscany

…of

French Country

ECHOES

…from the

visual language of

French Country

…from the

visual language of

Italian Tuscany

…from the

visual language of

Craftsman Style

"QUOTES"


how do the existing brands fit in this new brand model?

if these two brands are to be included in the brand model, they will confuse and dilute the brand meaning


the existing brands share similar attributes…

i.e., an authenticity derived from a unifying reference to high culture

they may be able to form an integrated offering separate from the brand model


further exploration can continue

on some nominal

reference to the brands, but this is

not recommended

31

Brand visualization

32 Brand visualization

authentic

33

Reliable Partner

Brand visualization

34

Driven by detail

Brand visualization

35

Stirs the imagination

Brand visualization

36

Brand story

37

Craftsman

…of Craftsman …of Gustav Stickley

38

Echoes

39

French

40

Echoes …of French Country …of Samual Chamberlain

41

Tuscany

42

echoes …of Italian Tuscany…of Andrea Palladio

Project Parousia Imark®

43

Name research

44 Name Research purpose

45

the high end of the

market, in particular,

continues to grow and

evolve as the aging

population reconfigures

their living arrangements

to reflect the lack of

children and different

social needs for space

Name Research purpose

it was the purpose of the research

to determine which of three names

would best suit the concept and

determine what evocative power,

motivation and imagery the names

would bring with them


48

to test the brand name fit-with-concept, 19 in-depth interviews were conducted in chicago and irvine, ca.


55

these names were set in a common typeface, helvetica bold and each name was followed by the descriptive line, architecturally inspired hardware and fixtures, set in helvetica regular


60

the intent was to determine the effect of “design” on the preferences of the interviewees as well as the evocative impact of the designs


as an

endorsement

“brand’' by

baldwin


66

single brand dominant plus (baldwin architecturally inspired hardware and fixtures)


a closing probe was done to see if the baldwin

name could be line extended to include faucets


69 Project Parousia Imark Name Research


base line graphic


6a


2a

87 Name Research findings

88

the projects were long, often arduous, but

ultimately rewarding

Name Research findings

homeowners broke into two segments


the respondents in chicago best represented this segment


they wanted the outer part of the house to make a design statement, but the interiors were often a mix of personal needs and eclectic styles


this segment was less involved, less of a purist at heart and best represented by the respondents in orange county


103

while

groehe

and jado

were

mentioned

repeatedly,

so was

emtek


emtek is growing in popularity, it was perceived as nice quality, good styling and reasonably priced


rocky mountain hardware was reported to have an interesting association with marvin doors


marvin only has a limited range of styles


most knew the name, but it was restricted to entry

door hardware, some wall plates and hinges


113

the perception was that baldwin

was a very good company


115

it was viewed as a bit stodgy, conservative and not very creative


119

the concept was positive

for both homeowners

and professionals

Name Research concept

120 Name Research concept

122

homeowners thought they would share this information with their friends who are going through remodeling projects


this was a resource that was perceived as valuable to them


“builds your confidence, it divides the data, gives

you a focus and lets you conquer, it’s helpful”


128

the look of the visuals and the description made the product seem well researched and that the line would blend together


this approach to presenting the

products would help those who

didn’t know what they wanted

as well as those who did know


“distinctive design sets”


133

the audience

for these

products were

those who had

the economic

resources and

the interest to

invest in

correct

architectural

design for the

period


they were affluent clients who

appreciated being brought to a place

that captured the spirit of that time


135


“having a single source makes my life easier”


the concept reminded some homeowners of restoration hardware, with whom they thought the line, would favorably compete


140 Potential Brand Names

Potential

Brand

names


the initial connotation for this name was that it had something to do with architects or

architecturally inspired products


it seemed high tech, that it would relate in some way to the architecture of the property and be correct design wise

“it has depth to it. they’ve done their homework”


“you don’t have to think very hard about it”



the design statement was more about the architecture than the interior

the architecture and strength associations made it easier for both men and women to relate to the name



looking at the rating scales, the homeowners liked the

name even more than the architects / designers


it scored well on the following dimensions compared to the second place echoes name

responsible

and

strong


respondents were more generous in their rating of archetypes than they were able to articulate in the interviews


it was a safer, yet

professional


the “crisp” style and “neat”,

“compact” letters gave the

name a “professional” air

about it

the style seemed very

“business like” and like it

was for “traditional” types

architects and designers

perceived the name as easier to

understand by their clients than

other approaches

“it doesn’t know what it is trying to be”


“the transition from one font to another is too abstract”


“daring, creative”


“seems unfinished,

It’s unsettling”


there was also a sense that the ending typeface seemed “too modern” for the concept



it was an interesting word

it had more emotional connotations than archetypes


it was “the finishing touch” that “pulls it all together”


“it summed up the idea of the concept”



the idea was of an emotional atmosphere from the past


this gave the concept an aura

of “mystery” and “curiosity”

“evocative of before and after”


“looking into the past for inspiration”


“this fits my process, what i was trying to capture in the past”


“gives me

the warm

fuzzies

about how

i look at

my home”



it brought to mind the interior and exterior fixtures of the house, rather than the form of the house

this name had a softer, feminine

side to it, which may appeal less

to men than women versus

archetypes



echoes was slightly more exciting than archetypes and it was more accessible

archetypes had that strong, professional

air about it which did not breed closeness


203

Ways of handling

the product line

names

204 Potential Brand hierarchies

the new line seemed newer, more sophisticated than expected

based on the style of the design and the names used


the message was that baldwin was coming out with a new line of

products that was different from what they were known for

“it’s effective. it draws you in”



this made it seem “boastful” and that “baldwin was selling something”

it seemed like it was a reliable product but that the spirit of styles was being subjugated into existing lines


“too specific if the baldwin name is not known”


too pure for remodeling jobs which are mixed in design”



baldwin

if someone was aware of the line, it tended to seem like more of what they are used to


baldwin


baldwin

“same old, same old”


baldwin

“staid, good, quality, not progressive”


baldwin


baldwin

extending the brand

to faucets seemed

relatively easy


baldwin


baldwin

“they’re not a plumbing company. they’re just copying”


baldwin

“it’s easier to go from plumbing to door locks than vice versa”


baldwin

239

Media

presentation

240 Media presentation


anything that would help the line stand out from the rest of the

showroom would help

e..g., lighting displays, clean, understated higher end

displays, interactive computer displays that would

allow the respondents to see and sense the products

in the areas in which they would be located the idea

is to capture the “spirit” of the line and the place


244

recommendations

245 Recommendations

on the basis of these directional findings, source recommends that a second round of

imark research be conducted on the two strong candidate names archetypes and echoes

the objective of this round of

imark sessions is to assess the

trade-offs between the emotional

richness and elasticity of the

echoes brand and the quick

understanding and clear-fit-to-

concept of the archetypes brand

246 Recommendations

stimuli for this next round of imark sessions should be the brand stories for echoes and archetypes presented as movies of in a format similar to the prototype echoes brand story developed earlier in the planning process

247 Recommendations

248 Recommendations

249 Recommendations

250

Summary &

conclusions

251 Summary & conclusions

the concept was positive for both

homeowners and professionals


the look of the visuals and the description made the products seem well researched and fostered the belief that the collections in the line would be true to their architectural inspiration


Brand names

the clear preference was that of the line brand is

dominant followed by a known manufacturer’s name,

e.g., “archetypes by baldwin”

this focused the respondent on the product line and

manufacturing quality while giving them reassurance

that the product was credible


Manufacturer product line names


Manufacturer product line names

the baldwin name was less familiar to respondents in

chicago that orange county

the perception was that baldwin was a very good

company

it stood for high quality, sturdy, long lasting,

conservative, brass and was expensive

it was viewed as a bit stodgy, conservative and not

very creative, which at the "traditional” or "colonial"

market, which was not part of the concept statement

or the collections this study was looking at


Faucet line extension

line extending baldwin into faucets was not as difficult as one might think,

assuming the person was aware of baldwin

companies ‘branch out all the time

" as long as the brand image is “faithful to high quality,’ which baldwin is,

extending the brand to faucets seemed relatively easy


Faucet line extension

November 2012

Max Ruckman, Black & Decker HHI

Bill O’Connor, Source, Inc.

Bruce Eckman

Luxury Brand

Business

Development

Case Study Part 3 E

www.maxruckman.com

270

product development case study part 3e april 1, 2013

Business

faucet line

base line

inspired hardware

imark sessions

door hardware

black amp

orange county

bruce eckman