General question about marketing technique

[singlecoil]

If an organisation wishes to promote their product (and what organisation would not?) and one of the promotable aspects of their product was that it was inexpensive compared to other products of the same quality level, what would be a good way to get this information across to their potential customers?
The product, BTW, is somewhat more expensive than the lower end of the market concerned and cannot therefore be marketed as being cheap.

[andyps]

Value for money is the obvious tag that springs to mind. From what you say I am presuming that the product is better quality than others at the same price, whilst less expensive than those which are the same quality. The message to use depends upon which of these two is the more appropriate angle.

[singlecoil]

andyps said:

Value for money is the obvious tag that springs to mind. From what you say I am presuming that the product is better quality than others at the same price, whilst less expensive than those which are the same quality. The message to use depends upon which of these two is the more appropriate angle.

Both of the above points are true, and I can't decide which fits the best. In the end, though, one has to choose so I'm going to go with "better quality than others at the same price" simply because seems to be a more positive statement

[andyps]

I agree, definitely more positive. If I think of good, and unusual, wording I will let you know. If you want to discuss it further feel free to drop me an email.

[Andrew[MG]]

What is the product?

[singlecoil]

Andrew[MG] said:

What is the product?

Painted Shaker kitchens. Design, make and install. Tricky thing to market, as there aren't obvious categories into which my stuff fits. Although it is bespoke, the prices are nothing like as high as other bespoke firms because I don't offer 'designer' features and don't have to purchase advertising space in glossy magazines.

[car.chic]

YHM.

[plasticpig]

singlecoil said:

Andrew[MG] said:

What is the product?

Painted Shaker kitchens. Design, make and install. Tricky thing to market, as there aren't obvious categories into which my stuff fits. Although it is bespoke, the prices are nothing like as high as other bespoke firms because I don't offer 'designer' features and don't have to purchase advertising space in glossy magazines.

In what way is it higher quality? Do you hand build the carcases in real wood or are they standard mdf off the shelf? People who are quality orientated will probably be looking for adverts in the glossy magazines. People who are price orientated will go for the cheapest quote.

[singlecoil]

plasticpig said:

In what way is it higher quality? Do you hand build the carcases in real wood or are they standard mdf off the shelf? People who are quality orientated will probably be looking for adverts in the glossy magazines. People who are price orientated will go for the cheapest quote.

My carcases are built from birch plywood. Real wood, by which I presume you mean solid wood in plank form is unsuitable for kitchens because it expands and contracts with changes in the relative humidity. Birch plywood is real wood which has been cut into veneer thin slices and laminated with each layer at right angles to the next. This restricts its rh movement to levels that can be accommodated.
Standard off the shelf carcases are made from MFC (melamine faced chipboard) not MDF. This material is far more prone to water or steam damage, but it is preferred by large manufacturers because unlike birch plywood it doesn't need to be varnished or painted.
Standard carcases are also only made in widths of 30,40,50,60,80 and 100cm, and this can restrict design by more than might be immediately apparent

I think your analysis to the kitchen-purchasing market is rather bleak. I have in the past been able to find customers who know that they can find a better product at a reasonable price by looking more carefully than simply picking up a copy of Home and Garden

[plasticpig]

singlecoil said:

plasticpig said:

In what way is it higher quality? Do you hand build the carcases in real wood or are they standard mdf off the shelf? People who are quality orientated will probably be looking for adverts in the glossy magazines. People who are price orientated will go for the cheapest quote.

My carcases are built from birch plywood. Real wood, by which I presume you mean solid wood in plank form is unsuitable for kitchens because it expands and contracts with changes in the relative humidity. Birch plywood is real wood which has been cut into veneer thin slices and laminated with each layer at right angles to the next. This restricts its rh movement to levels that can be accommodated.
Standard off the shelf carcases are made from MFC (melamine faced chipboard) not MDF. This material is far more prone to water or steam damage, but it is preferred by large manufacturers because unlike birch plywood it doesn't need to be varnished or painted.
Standard carcases are also only made in widths of 30,40,50,60,80 and 100cm, and this can restrict design by more than might be immediately apparent

I think your analysis to the kitchen-purchasing market is rather bleak. I have in the past been able to find customers who know that they can find a better product at a reasonable price by looking more carefully than simply picking up a copy of Home and Garden

My outlook became bleak when I found out the total cost of production for a single carcass was less than £10 and can be knocked out in 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. You are obvioulsy in a diffrent market.

[singlecoil]

plasticpig said:

My outlook became bleak when I found out the total cost of production for a single carcass was less than £10 and can be knocked out in 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. You are obvioulsy in a diffrent market.

I get the feeling that there is an interesting story behind that. Were you involved in kitchen making at some point?
I'm not too worried about the speed and costs that others might achieve because even if the parts were free there would still be a considerable cost to the customer by the time the kitchen was in their house and usable, so the extra cost of having the parts made properly and to the dimensions required is not all that high.

[plasticpig]

singlecoil said:

plasticpig said:

My outlook became bleak when I found out the total cost of production for a single carcass was less than £10 and can be knocked out in 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes. You are obvioulsy in a diffrent market.

I get the feeling that there is an interesting story behind that. Were you involved in kitchen making at some point?
I'm not too worried about the speed and costs that others might achieve because even if the parts were free there would still be a considerable cost to the customer by the time the kitchen was in their house and usable, so the extra cost of having the parts made properly and to the dimensions required is not all that high.

I have been inolved with kitchen companies three times. Doing telesales for a household name kitchen company. Secondly developing a bespoke design /costing/ qutation system for a largeish company and peripheraly in production tracking systems for another. The first one was the most unethical company I have ever come across . The second one nearly forced me and five others into
bankruptcy and were nearly as unethical as the first. The third were fine but didn't sell to the general public. This has left me with a rather jaded view of the industry.

[singlecoil]

plasticpig said:

This has left me with a rather jaded view of the industry.

Well then, let me be the first to assure you that we are not all like that.