Marketing Home Products

A few years ago, K&A put together a white paper on “Missing Males,” and how many – if not most – marketers tend to ignore the male consumer, focusing almost completely on female head of households &/or moms.

Advertising Age recently published further information about how marketers still have yet to embrace this growing consumer base of men. It highlighted a Yahoo survey in which more than half of men said they were the primary grocery shopper for their household… even though a small majority of packaged goods actually speak to them via advertisements. Yet, men still tend to wind up at the butt-end of a joke, implying they’re incompetent, goofy or aloof – especially when it comes to food and consumer goods for the home.

Have dads become more important targets for marketers over moms? That’s not quite the case, as household decision makers are still by and large women. For some, however, there’s something to be desired in advertisements and marketing in which men are left out.

It may be a difficult line to draw, but some brands have revamped their M.O., including Jif peanut butter’s addition to its “choosy moms” tagline and Kellogg’s targeted campaigns on ESPN.com. While the female head of household may very well make the majority of purchasing decisions, it’s clear that men simply can’t be ignored in advertising campaigns. The good news: a fair amount of white space exists here for specifically targeting men. Let’s see what they come up with…

Just eight short days from now, San Francisco will host one of the nation’s largest regional builders’ shows. PCBC brings together builders, developers, building scientists, architects, environmental engineers, landscape companies, and manufacturers to focus on delivering industry trends, innovations, and environmental building practices. Here are several brands that I’m excited about seeing at the show:

• DANVER: The well-known stainless steel cabinetry manufacturer will showcase its newest outdoor kitchen products, including the Glastender Home line of commercial-grade cocktail stations. DANVER has recently teamed up with Glastender Home to provide a state-of-the-art bartending station that is easy to use and install. With its high durability and low maintenance, stainless steel is the perfect material for all outdoor kitchen needs. (Booth #5110)
• Andersen Windows: The two-year winner of the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award named by the EPA, Andersen windows manufactures high-quality energy efficient windows while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At PCBC, Andersen will showcase its wide variety of environmentally friendly windows and doors. (Booth #6335)
• Boral Roofing: Boral, one of the most extensive providers of sustainable clay and concrete roofing, is partnering with Green Builder Media to present the Sustainable Speaker Series. PCBC attendees PCBC can join the series at Boral’s booth, #5111.
• Carriage House Door Co.: Carriage House provides custom handcrafted garage doors, each meticulously designed to embellish the beauty and value of your home. The company will display a variety of its doors at PCBC, booth #6420.
• Nichiha: Nichiha, a leading manufacturer of fiber cement siding, will debut its newest siding product, NichiFrontier at PCBC. NichiFrontier is similar to Nichiha’s popular Sierra Premium Shake Product, but is offered at a lower price point. It will be available this summer, in four different colors: Terra, Hazelnut, Shadow and Prairie. (Booth #6317)
• Cooper Lighting: A leading provider of high-quality light fixtures, Cooper Lighting is sure to impress with its extensive and innovative line of residential, commercial, industrial, and utility lighting. (Booth #5611)
• Gerber: A leader in high performance vitreous china plumbing fixtures, faucets, and fittings, Gerber will have its comprehensive line of products on display, ideal for water-conservation in both residential and commercial use. (Booth #6120)
• Isokern by Earthcore: Isokern by Earthcore is a superior brand of fireplaces, ovens and chimneys made of energy efficient volcanic stone. Volcanic stone has high insulating values, way beyond that of clay or stone. Visit Booth #5121 to see their exceptional fireplaces that are perfect for both indoor and outdoor use.

It seems the more you have, the more you need. What if Americans traded in all of their “somethings” for nearly nothing? The recent “extreme-downsizing” trend is becoming a tempting challenge for many, and as their piles of possessions shrink, so do their homes.

In “Forget Marta Stewart—Try Martha Hubbard,” Ellen M. Kozak claims she is on the verge of tossing nearly all of her possessions and moving to a small space because the idea of less junk to dust, less floor space to sweep and less to account for is appealing. So appealing, in fact, that some are even setting a limit on the number of things they own. The 100 Thing Challenge, a grassroots movement in which people eliminate all but 100 of their possessions, is a minimalist trend that is proving successful for people across the country who are “overwhelmed with stuff.”

One reason for the purging of our possessions is the technological advances we’ve seen in the past few years. Electronic readers have replaced the books on our bookshelves and iPods have diminished our CD collections. Smart phones have virtually everything we need: camera, calculator, computer, alarm clock, and so much more including, of course, a phone. These things that took up space before are now all housed in one or two central systems. We don’t need alarm clocks, calculators, CD players or books if there’s an option to consolidate all into one device. These objects could even be considered irrelevant, especially to those adopting the “100 Thing” mentality.

But even if you do have more than 100 possessions and haven’t packed up your car and headed to warmer weather where you can toss your bulky winter wear and never worry about that snow shovel, the idea of having fewer items in smaller spaces is a continuing and noticeable trend, especially in the housing industry. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average size of a new- single family home declined from 2,521 square feet in 2007 – the peak of the housing boom – to 2,377 square feet in 2010. After the economic downturn in 2009, it seems everyone learned to cut out what they don’t need. People are now making the most of the space they do have; they’re remodeling their homes instead of moving into new ones.

Whether it’s an extreme elimination of items or a simple downgrade, it looks like the “bigger is better” mentality is on its way out. Much like we’ve seen the change from big gas guzzling SUVs and trucks to fuel-efficient eco-friendly cars, the change from excess to absence in possessions – and subsequently living spaces – is right behind.