This case study discusses the importance of keeping your product line evergreen through a combination of both updating your current line plus exploiting new product categories. If you don't continually innovate, you competitors will do it for you and your business will suffer. This shows how the "Buster" franchise at Black & Decker not only found a way to update their hugely successful Dustbuster business; they were able to use consumer and attitudinal segmentation to find completely new and unexploited adjacent product categories. The result was a huge hit with consumers since it addressed new trends in everyday household cleaning Rick Steinbrenner - The Global Brand Guy

1. 1
Developing A Brand New Product Idea / Category
In Household Cleaning Tools
“The Buster” Family Of Cleaning Tools
Dustbuster, Scumbuster, Floorbuster

2. 2
 Black & Decker invented the Dustbuster franchise in 1979.
 Dustbusters had eroded from $100M to only $35MM by 1996.
 Handheld vac competition – (Royal, Hoover, Eureka, China imports) was mainly
responsible.
 Moreover, there had not been any real innovation in handheld vacs for years. i.e.
corded or cordless , amps and accessories.
 Strategic Imperatives:
 Re-vitalize Dustbusters
 Expand into new “non-served” adjacent product categories exploiting “need gaps”.
Cleaning Tools Business Situation

3. 3
Consumer lifestyle shifts were driving changes in traditional
household cleaning behaviors.
Key Consumer Trends:Key Consumer Trends:
Help consumers clean faster & better with less time & effort
Speed Bumps
Speed Bumps
Cleaning Business Actions
 Working parents & single parent householdsWorking parents & single parent households
 Time constraintsTime constraints
 Casual living attitudes & priorities - “I can live with some dirtCasual living attitudes & priorities - “I can live with some dirt””

4. 4
Consumer Household Cleaning Tasks/Markets
VacuumVacuum Manual Wet MopsManual Wet Mops
Sweep/Dry MopSweep/Dry Mop
DustingDusting
Wet CleanWet Clean
 Upholstered furniture
 Wall-to-wall carpeting
 Area rugs
 Major/small kitchen appliances
 Heater, radiator
 Window coverings
 Woodwork
 Electronic equipment
 Light fixtures/ceiling fans
 Hardwood floors
 Tile floors
 Linoleum
 Entry way/ mud room
 Major/small kitchen appliances
 Sink, toilet, tub& tile walls
 Windows
 Kitchen countertops
 Glass/wood tops
 Shower doors
 Sliding glass doors
 Fireplace/hearth
 Hardwood floors
 Tile floors
 Cement floors
OutdoorOutdoor
 Deck and patio
 Outdoor furniture
 BBQ
 Siding
 Gutters
 Fences
 Driveways/sidewalks
Source: 1994 B&D Cleaning A&U Study
Cleaning Business Actions
These tasks were already being
addressed by current products
Opportunities existed to “Invent
& Market” In Adjacent Categories
Traditional Served Cleaning Markets Unserved, Adjacent Markets

5. 5
Cleaning Category Consumer Segmentation
 Consumer attitudinal segmentation showed both an emotional and rational need for new
cleaning solutions beyond handheld vacs.
 Convenient hard surface floor and wet cleaning needs were not being addressed.
Source: 1994 Cleaning A&U Study
Sweeping/
Dry Mop
Sweeping/
Dry Mop
Corded/Cordless
Handheld Vacs
Corded/Cordless
Handheld Vacs
Wet Cleaning
Tools
Wet Cleaning
Tools
Dirt/Messes are important to clean up - emotional
Thecleaningtaskitselfisannoying-rational
Low
High
High
Anti-CleanersAnti-Cleaners
CleaningCleaning
FanaticsFanatics
TolerantTolerant
CleanersCleaners
DiligentDiligent
CleanersCleaners
Cleaning Business Actions

6. 6
 Scumbuster invented the “wet cleaning” category –
$60MM business – single largest $ SKU in Black &
Decker’s 100 year history.
 Unique product design/manufacturing process
resulted in a waterproof product up to 3 feet in water –
competition couldn’t duplicate it. First to market.
 Scumbuster was the first Black & Decker
product on QVC – result $1MM of sales in one day
 Floorbuster was the first cordless stick vac using
the patented versapack rechargeable battery technology
and new bagless technologies before Dyson vacs.
- $5MM business
 Achieved highest profitability return in history
of the business - $100MM with >20% ROS.
Cleaning Business Results

7. 6
 Scumbuster invented the “wet cleaning” category –
$60MM business – single largest $ SKU in Black &
Decker’s 100 year history.
 Unique product design/manufacturing process
resulted in a waterproof product up to 3 feet in water –
competition couldn’t duplicate it. First to market.
 Scumbuster was the first Black & Decker
product on QVC – result $1MM of sales in one day
 Floorbuster was the first cordless stick vac using
the patented versapack rechargeable battery technology
and new bagless technologies before Dyson vacs.
- $5MM business
 Achieved highest profitability return in history
of the business - $100MM with >20% ROS.
Cleaning Business Results