A leading brand supplier of toilet flushers was looking for ways to expand the market for air fresheners and cleaners to hang in the toilet bowl. The interim manager (in his role as an employed marketing manager at the time) was given the task of developing a product that could tap into new customer groups.
On the one hand, toilet hangers are a hygiene product that is in high demand. On the other hand, they are a commodity that quite a few consumers reject for aesthetic reasons alone. The interim manager and his project team were faced with the challenge of developing a product that would break down the barrier to purchase (unattractive design) while at the same time fulfilling its full functionality (cleaning and air improvement).
Concept for toilet hangers developed as a modern design product
In collaboration with product management, production and market research, the interim manager and his team developed the idea of positioning the functional utility item "toilet hanger" as a modern design product. A toilet flush valve with no functional drawbacks, but with a very attractive design, styled by an Italian company with a high level of design expertise and a correspondingly good image among consumers.
Italian design company Alessi acquired as a partner
After approval, the marketing manager set about acquiring a design partner for the project. He finally found one in the Italian company Alessi, which is known for its high-quality and design-oriented products. In a lengthy process, the interim manager managed to get the Alessi owner enthusiastic about this project.
The design development was based on the manufacturer's very well-functioning technology platform. This saved costs and time. However, the attractive Alessi design in the form of a surfer figure made the new product stand out significantly from all the competition. An offensively communicated "co-branding" of the manufacturer and the "Alessi" brand increased the design appeal.
Resistance to the implementation of the project overcome through communication
One of the challenges in this project was that individual managers at the manufacturer were rather skeptical about the idea of a toilet flush as a lifestyle or design product. The interim manager was able to overcome this resistance with the results of the market research and very intensive communication.
Design toilet flush increases sales and opens the way to new international markets
The success confirmed the project team's initiative: shortly after the market launch, sales and market share increased measurably, partly because new consumers were won over. In the next step, the designer toilet flush valve proved to be a door opener to markets in which the company had not previously been represented.
