Enthusiast Detailing Product Companies going Mainstream?

G35stilez

G35stilez

Ari Gold
I keep have this thought running through my head of Poorboy's, 4 Star, Wolfgang, and many others going mainstream and marketing their products towards a broader audience.

Actions such as taking a page or half page up in a(some) popular automotive magazine(s) expressing their products. Obviously great preparation with product supplies as well as money supplies would have to be taken into account, but is this a possibility and is this where these companies are planning on going?

I realize this thought cost's mucho money but it could also result into an even bigger payoff.

However, does anyone think this action would dilute these company's brand image?


Let's discuss this and also hear from any who are running a detailing product business.
 
I don't think it would hurt them, however, I don't know if I would feel that they still have that same 'boutique' style about them if you could just pick them up at any store on the corner. I think it would kind of make them like the Meg's in the burgundy bottles. More a consumer product and not really for the professional/enthusiast. I may be way off base here with my thoughts, but again, it's just my thoughts. I also do not know how well some of these products would go over with the uneducated 'general mass.' I don't think they would quite understand why they have to pay $15 for 16 oz. of this product when they can get the Meg's or Mother's for 1/3 that price. The price issue may not be that big a factor considering Meg's introduction of NXT. It is higher priced and has been recieved by generally well by most people. I would like to see some of the products I like become more readily available, but I don't know if it would be the same...

Good thread by the way.
 
Hey, I was thinking about that too, if anyone will try to reach a broader audience with their boutique supplies. I agree with Jared though, I don't think many people would be hip to spending three times as much money, when most people don't even know about clay bars, cleaners and polish.
 
GSRstilez said:
I keep have this thought running through my head of Poorboy's, 4 Star, Wolfgang, and many others going mainstream and marketing their products towards a broader audience.

Actions such as taking a page or half page up in a(some) popular automotive magazine(s) expressing their products. Obviously great preparation with product supplies as well as money supplies would have to be taken into account, but is this a possibility and is this where these companies are planning on going?

I realize this thought cost's mucho money but it could also result into an even bigger payoff.

However, does anyone think this action would dilute these company's brand image?


Let's discuss this and also hear from any who are running a detailing product business.
Click to expand...

Sad but true. The mass majority of the United States population tends to ask "How much?" instead of "How good?".

We don't want products that we manufacture on the shelves of Wally World or discount auto stores.

First, they beat you up on price so they can knock the price down as cheap as possible and then they want 30, 60 or even 90 days to pay.

www.premiumautocare.com and ,even more relevant to this thread, Four Star Ultimate products have doubled in sales volume for two years straight just by spending about $500 per month in advertising and rather than having to deal with huge corporate giants we are building a loyal customer base and high quality distributors.

Dwayne
 
ok here's my take on it after almost 20 years of selling products....ads are very expensive to do right and to do in color...thousands.$$$$ ....the masses do not read the magazines that you would put them in, usually only enthusiasts..ie car and driver , rodder , street rod, etc ...the profit margin , even though some of you think we are making millions :nono , is very small considering you are selling a $15 product not a $15,000 car or $1500 wheel or part...you must sell a lot to just cover costs of the ad.
Most mass marketed products are marketed through chain stores, which are not small company friendly, ie Zymol was the perfect example of a company that had to sell out(turtle wax) to get real exposure ...I'm sure i could go on and on :blah: but I won't bore everyone:D
 
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Frankly it appears that it is really difficult to hit the "target" audience by going mainstream. For years I've gone to large vintage concours, race events for numerous sanctions and recently Street Rod events of very large proportions. For the past three years I've gone to Louisville where each year there have been between 10,000 and 12,000 fantastic street rods.
I have watched to see what products are being used. You'd be surprised to see the lack of "enthusiast" products and some of the items being used. Only a small portion are using products that would be discussed on this forum. Windex is frequently the QD of choice and shop rags are often the detail cloth. Granted there are a few informed individuals but most are using cheap products off the shelves of Wallymart or the Dollar store. Meguiars and Eagle one are present trying to make inroads but it is truly amazing how difficult it must be to sell to the masses.
The Meguiars display this year was extremely large at Louisville but for the most part the products for sale were the same products from the shelves of the local supermarket. Obviously they have found that they cannot promote their professional products there.
Being in any business is tough and although enthusiasts all dream of unlimited availability it won't happen.
I am thankful for the internet and firms like Poorboys where I can buy a quality product at a reasonable price and get the enjoyment of a clean car that stands out in the neighbourhood. As bigron62 said it gives me an edge.
 
Locally, Wal-Mart is not carrying NXT 'cause we're a bit rural & people would rather spend $3 to $5 on Turtle Wax. About 20 miles away, in a more affluent suburb of Buffalo, Wal-Mart cannot keep any of the NXT products on the shelf 'cause people there don't mind spending $13.26 for NXT.

It's tough to reach the masses ....... everywhere.
 
Lexus13 said:
Frankly it appears that it is really difficult to hit the "target" audience by going mainstream. For years I've gone to large vintage concours, race events for numerous sanctions and recently Street Rod events of very large proportions. For the past three years I've gone to Louisville where each year there have been between 10,000 and 12,000 fantastic street rods.
I have watched to see what products are being used. You'd be surprised to see the lack of "enthusiast" products and some of the items being used. Only a small portion are using products that would be discussed on this forum. Windex is frequently the QD of choice and shop rags are often the detail cloth. Granted there are a few informed individuals but most are using cheap products off the shelves of Wallymart or the Dollar store. Meguiars and Eagle one are present trying to make inroads but it is truly amazing how difficult it must be to sell to the masses.
The Meguiars display this year was extremely large at Louisville but for the most part the products for sale were the same products from the shelves of the local supermarket. Obviously they have found that they cannot promote their professional products there.
Being in any business is tough and although enthusiasts all dream of unlimited availability it won't happen.
I am thankful for the internet and firms like Poorboys where I can buy a quality product at a reasonable price and get the enjoyment of a clean car that stands out in the neighbourhood. As bigron62 said it gives me an edge.
Click to expand...

Yes it's true and it's also frustrating at times discussing Pledge or Windex at a show where the paint jobs start at 7-10k and go to 50k+:dunno

just thought I'd let you know about next weekend in Macungie, PA

2300+ Awesome Street Rods...and I'll be there:D
 
Look at it this way too, Meguiar's imports their silicones from China for $170 for a 55 gallon drum, Adam's imports his from Japan for $1180 for a 55 gallon drum. The difference is huge when it comes to ease of use and results.
 
I agree selling any product to people set in thier ways is hard. No matter what your edge is: better quality, protection, and cost. I used to use Zaino, liked that I could buy it locally, but my source is gone and I am using a different product. But all the local guys insist that Zaino is the best no matter what. Now there are many great products out Poorboys, Klasse, Pinnacle, Four Star and Tropi-Care. I like using just one brand's line but I'm am starting to mix and match. Thanks Detail City for all the great info.
 
So now I am curious, how did you make it in business before the internet? How did you get exposure? A few years back I had never heard of 4 star, poorboy's, klasse and the list goes on. Now I have gotten more involved and know about some of the products (thanks DC). So do you go for the masses or do you stay specific to a certain group and thats the reason you don't advertise?
 
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