Riedel Marketing Group

The housewares marketing authority.

Marriages Made in Marketing Heaven

More and more, housewares companies are seeking the added leverage of well-known consumables brands by partnering with consumer package goods companies.  Last year, Butler teamed up with Proctor and Gamble.  This year, Holmes is teaming up with Dial Corporation.  These partnerships make a lot of sense: The housewares manufacturer has the “hardware” expertise and the consumer package goods company has the “software” expertise AND the marketing expertise.  In the case of Butler, the “hardware” is brooms, mops, buckets, dust pans, scrub brushes, and bowl brushes and the “software” is the Mr. Clean line of cleaning chemicals.  In the case of  Holmes, the “hardware” is a new plug-in odor filter, called the Holmes Odor Grabber, and the “software” is Renuzit-branded scented electric gel cartridges.  The Butler/Mr. Clean has evidently been a success:  Michael Silverman, Vice President of Marketing for Butler recently told HomeWorld Business magazine that “the success of the Mr. Clean business has allowed us to reinvest in our existing Butler business as well as expand in the Mr. Clean assortment.”  I am sure that Holmes is hoping for the same kind of success with their partnership with Dial.