Designed Products
The Importance of a Brand — Peter Goldman, president of thehome division for The NPD Group, Inc., knows the ins and outs ofbrand like no one else. Goldman is known as a guru on housewarescategories for NPD’s tracking of consumer purchasing trends acrossthe broad housewares industry. Branding is a benchmark ofmarketing, but the standard rules don’t always apply, particularlyin an evolving marketplace and challenging economic times. Inmaking the case, Goldman will look at the small appliance industry,in which brand is the third-most important reason for making apurchase.
Millennials (20-somethings) have Over $350 Billion in SpendingPower! what Do They want for their Homes? — Homegoods marketresearcher Robin Albing says millennials are emerging consumers inthe household formation stage. Albing will present data thatreflect the huge potential for the housewares industry — such asmillennials’ weddings and first-time home setup — and illustratehow millennials are influencing branding choices by reacquaintingtheir parents with iconic brands. This “brand sharing” will be animportant factor in the buying habits of the 20-somethingdemographic. Albing also will use her data to support the fact thatthe millennials are savvy, sophisticated consumers with moreinformation than ever before. Companies that begin to tap into thisemerging demographic will find success.
Design Directions: going Green
Sustainability is a complex topic that companies large and smallare still trying to understand. part of the challenge appears to beseparating “greenwashing” — over-promising environmental benefits– from truly “green” products. many housewares manufacturers areworking hard to reconsider materials for their products andpackaging, energy and water use in production, and the reuse ofwaste produced. at the same time, retailers are requiring vendorsto meet guidelines for more sustainable products and packaging, andare asking for more sustainability reporting.
As makers and sellers of housewares seek answers to what’spossible, Design Directions: going Green will look at the effortssome companies are making to produce sustainable products. Visitorsto the display, now located in the Clean + Contain Expo in theNorth Building, will see a wide selection of green products andmaterials, and will be able to ask experts on hand about greenerdirections for any business.
One of the experts, for example, will be Aimee Heilbrunn ofEcoScene, Inc., a Web-based reviewer of eco-friendly products andservices that make it easier for homeowners and others to go green.EcoScene partners with the Georgetown University McDonough Schoolof Business on green-focused research projects. “We’re very muchconsumer-focused and one of the product aspects I find to be mostimportant is ‘does it work?’” she said. “That’s so fundamental, theconcept almost gets lost. A product can be made with recycledmaterials, but if it doesn’t work, it does more harm than good.We’re very honest with our feedback.”
Design Defined
What defines great design? at the 2010 show, teams of designprofessionals will fan out across the exhibit floor in the Clean +Contain Expo to find notable, well-designed products. A display inthe Grand Concourse Lobby will feature products selected in 2009.Products that receive the coveted recognition in 2010 will beannounced on Monday, March 15, and featured in a slide presentationthat will play at the display throughout the rest of the show. Whoknows design better than designers? be there to see what floatstheir boat.
Global Design
With several hundred international suppliers on hand, the 2010 Showis a global marketplace for buyers. To sort it all out, savvybuyers stop at several specified sites on the show floor arrangedby country, including Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Turkey.The Global Crossroads Expo, located in the North Building andfeaturing hundreds of products from China, Hong Kong, India andTaiwan, is an innovative mixture of cultures and customs fromsources that defy imagination. A walk through the Expo offers afascinating cross section of products arranged by country and thetrends behind them.
Student Design Competition
The Student Design Competition, sponsored by IHA in partnershipwith the Industrial Designers Society of America, is recognized byprofessional designers and educators as a valuable contribution toindustrial design education. The rigorous contest is judged bydesign professionals and managers at housewares companies, and hasconvinced many young designers to make housewares design theircareer.
The winning products and their designers can be found in theHousewares Design Center exhibit in the Lakeside Center, Level 3Lobby. Products run the gamut of imagination, from small electricsto home health care, tableware and cleaning products. Each studenthas devoted many months of effort to the winning entries, and theirstories of inspiration are well worth hearing.
Pantone ColorWatch
The housewares industry is well aware of color’s importance in themarketplace. Research indicates that product color evokes a strongemotional response from consumers and drives more than 60 percentof purchases. Pantone ColorWatch, located in the Lakeside Center,Level 3 Lobby, is an annual must-see for hundreds of buyers andother visitors to the show who want a concise overview of the colorpalettes representing the strongest home furnishing trends for2011. Each of the nine palettes includes individual Pantone colors,the philosophy behind the color selections and actual products fromShow exhibitors. The display complements Monday’s color trendsseminar by noted color expert Leatrice Eiseman.
New Product Showcases
See the hundreds of new products making their debut at the show inthe New Product Showcases, located in the Buyers Clubs in eachbuilding. while the Clubs are lounges for the buyer attendees,credentialed news media are allowed in to see the showcases.
For more information on the new inKNOWvation concept, please visitwww.housewares.org.
IH HS Unveils 'inKNOWvation'
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