u03a2 Project Product Analysis
BUS3030 – Fundamentals of Marketing & Sales
Ken Bobowski
COMPANY
Wooster Rubber Company, a toy balloon maker, was founded in 1920 and through them, Rubbermaid introduced the first rubber dustpan in 1934 (Newell Rubbermaid, 2010). Rubbermaid, acquired by Newell in 1999, was combined with multiple companies to become Newell Rubbermaid and today is present in 90% of homes in America (Newell Rubbermaid, 2010). Newell Rubbermaid owns approximately 38 different top brand names such as Graco, Goody, Calphalon, Sharpie, Papermate, Parker, Dymo, Expo, Rolodex, Uni-Ball, Liquid Paper, Bernzomatic, Shur-Line, and Levolar, in addition to their Rubbermaid brand of products.
Product Items
The Rubbermaid brand offers beverage storage and accessories, closets & shelving, coolers, food storage, garage organization, kitchen accessories, laundry baskets and organization, outdoor storage, general storage products, products for storing/carrying utility and cleaning items, and waste/trash cans and buckets (Rubbermaid, 2010). Rubbermaid’s products are shopping products because they are usually more expensive than a convenience product, like small hardware items, and are found in fewer stores so customers tend to compare several brands on style, practicality, price, and lifestyle compatibility (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2010). Rubbermaid’s shopping products are homogenous because consumers perceive their products as basically similar to other storage and organization products so consumers typically look for the lowest-priced brand that has the desired features (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2010).
Product Line & Mixes Rubbermaid’s storage and organization product mix contains different groups of closely related products that fall into product lines such as closet and shelving, beverage, garage organization, etc. They have 11 product lines in their storage and organization product mix (see Table 1 below). Rubbermaid’s products lines have allowed them advertising economies, package uniformity, standardized components, efficient sales and distribution, and equivalent quality.
Table 1
Rubbermaid’s Product Lines and Product Mix
Beverage
Closets & Shelving
Coolers
Food Storage
Garage Organization
Kitchen Accessories
Laundry
Outdoor
Storage
Utility & Cleaning
Waste & Trash
Refill/ Reuse Bottles
HomeFree Customiz-able Closet
BlueIce Wheeled Coolers
Take Alongs
Fast Track Garage Organization System
Cabinet Organiza-tion
Baskets
Rough-neck Sheds
Rough-neck
Spray Mopping
Indoor Waste Cans - Covered
Beverage Storage
Configur-ations Customiz-able Closet Kits
Marine Coolers
Bulk Storage
Tool & Sport Storage
Drawer & Silverware Organizers
Hampers
Vertical Sheds
Clever Store
Micro-fiber
Indoor Waste Baskets - Open
Ice Cub Trays & Bins
FastTrack Adjustable Closet Kits
Personal Coolers
Special-ty Storage
Resin Shelves
Enhanced Sinkware
Discon-tinued Laundry
Big Max Sheds
Special-ty Storage
Wet Mopping
Outdoor Trash Cans
Litterless Juice Boxes
Non-Adjustable Closet Kits
Everyday Coolers
Discon-tinued Food Storage Products
Resin Cabinets
Basic Sinkware
Ironing Organizer
Deck Boxes & Patio Benches
Action-Packer
Discon-tinued Utility & Cleaning Products
Discon-tinued Waste & Trash
