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CASE STUDY
It's difficult to find a home improvement store that doesn't carry Fluidmaster. The toilet parts manufacturer has its products on the shelves of Home Depot, Lowe's, Menard and independent retailers belonging to the three major co-ops. Plumbing supply houses also carry Fluidmaster products. So do hardware wholesalers and distributors.
How did Fluidmaster become so ubiquitous? Its branding strategy is intertwined: Get the consumer to associate Fluidmaster with toilet repair, and maintain a dominant position in retail outlets. Ostensibly, one should flow from the other. Consumer demand drives retail sales, so strong brand recognition creates a strong retail presence, right?
Branding is a little more complicated than that, according to Bob Connell, executive vp and chief operating officer of Fluidmaster. "Retailers love the idea that customers are familiar with brand names and trust those names;' said Connell,...