Hunter Douglas Blinds vs. Levolor – A Brand Battle Royale

                                                                                         

The company I work for recently conducted some focus groups to determine brand awareness of our website and company as well as the brands that we carry. Now, I was not necessarily surprised that no one knew our company name but what did surprise me is that only one person in two focus group sessions, totaling about 20 people, could name a brand of window treatments. That company was Hunter Douglas which happens to be the biggest manufacturer of window treatments on the planet. They are headquartered in the Netherlands and have annual sales well over 2 billion dollars.

Now, I realize that a sample size of 20 people is not large but it still surprises me how little attention and awareness there is of this facet of consumer goods. We almost all have some kind of window treatments in our houses. Just so you know there are many other brand names, there’s Levolor, Bali, Kirsch, Graber, Comfortex and a few others.

What is it in the nature of window treatments that is so forgettable? I do have theories. First, and most importantly, window blinds, et al are a very infrequent purchase. You could purchase blinds for your house and not think about them again for years and years. Your infant child could be out of high school before you considered redecorating. Secondly, I believe that people do not have an emotional attachment to window treatment brands. There is no, “keeping up with the Jones’” aspect. It is not like your neighbor is going to notice that you bought a set of brand new Bali aluminum mini blinds for your living room and be envious. Your neighbor might not even notice and if he/she did, the conversation would not be about the brand. It would only be a simple acknowledgement of something new within your home.

Let’s take this analogy a step further with a comparison of another infrequent purchase, automobiles. On average people buy a new car roughly every 3-5 years. The automobile industry has done a much better job of branding and selling an emotional attachment to their products. Think back to the “keeping up with the Jones’” analogy. I bought a new car a few months ago and my neighbors went out of their way to compliment me. I feel good driving around in my brand-name car. It tells people that, “yes, I make decent money,” whether that’s true or not. I bought new window treatments for my house and I don’t think any one even noticed.

If I were the marketing manager for, let’s say Hunter Douglas, I would spend a lot more money on branding. I would work to create an emotional attachment to the cache of owning their brand of window treatments. In the end, if consumers do not have an emotional attachment to a brand, especially with regards to something like window treatments, there will be little or no loyalty and catch-as-catch-can sales. I would work to make my brand the must-have, make-my-neighbors-covet my brand name window blinds. Then the next time your neighbor comes for a visit, he/she will say, “Are those the new Levolor pleated shades? I heard about these, they are nice! I gotta get me some of those.”

About the author:
window treatments are a forgettable product but brands like Hunter Douglas with their large annual sales should be doing better at branding their blinds.



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