New Megs Products

[ALAN81]

Its what's would you like a lot of products doing just about the same thing or less products, that's just about what it comes down to.To me it just gets to confusing.

[paco]

Originally posted by the other pc
By the same token we can we think of GM as lacking;
"1. A strong clear mission statement
2. Clear direction
3. Or are facing multiple agenda's"
because Saturn, Cadillac, Chevy, Saab, and GMC all have new products that are launched with great fanfare and entirely different marketing angles.

Actually, that proves my point exactly rather disapproving it!

With the expection of a few products that have stood the test of time (Corvette for one), products that GM were manufacturing 10 years back have all been replaced. The most recent that comes to mind is Cavalier --> Cobalt.

Can you imagine how confusing it would be to a customer if they walk into a showroom and had to choose between a 4-door Cavalier and a 4-door cobalt In the end, it would probably come down only to the look of the vehicle (packaging) - nothing more.

Rather than supporting 2 compacts that are going after the same market, they've drop the old one and replaced it with a newer update. They are both still priced the same, it's simply improving upon what they had and keeping the company fresh.

Now, that's good marketing!

They also have an issue in that the Sunfire and Cavalier were basically the same J-body vehicle with just a different look.

Why is Toyota so strong these days .. .simple. No duplication for the most part. Keep their low end as Toyota. Maintain a high end with Lexus. Very very little cross of vehicles so either you buy a Corolla/Camry or you buy a IS300/LS400 etc. Honda/Acura .. Nissan/Infinity. SIMPLE!

BMW/Mercedes go about it in a slightly different way buy have 3 or 4 target groups and clearly defining what the differences are within a class or between the class i.e. 3 vs 5 vs 6 vs 7 (soon to include a 4). Within the series, you go 318, 325, 330 etc. As you increase the number, you increase the performance of the vehicle. SIMPLE!

Look at GM; too much diversification and it water's down your efficiency's were true profit can be gained. Why manufacture 3 vechiles where they are all basically going after the same customer (which probably buy any of the 3 if they didnb't have the choices).

Chrysler was/is in the same boat but are moving to minimize the excess of the late 80's and early 90's.

Chrysler/Eagle/Dodge... Eagle's gone. However, like GM. They still have some unneeded duplication i.e. Seabring and the Stratus.

I don't see many K-cars being sold these days even though the car basically saved Chrysler. They didn't keep Avenger going even though it's a basically a 2-dr Stratus... they've been replaced with a better vehicle or been dropped as being obsolete.

Should they replace the Viper ... absolutely not.

Why? It's proven. Everyone knows it's performance. There's no ambiguity. Just pure raw torque and horsepower.

Should I get a Corvette or Viper or F355 etc. That's like comparing Zaino vs. Klasse vs. FMJ etc. They all perform well if you know how to drive them. Is one better than the other, depends on your tastes and what tickles your fancy.

Now; what's the deal with No.9, SFP, Scratch X, Body Scrub etc. YOU GOT ME

Who would have thought Meguiars launching a few brushes and some additional NXT items would have generated such a good discussion regarding their product line and the confusion it's been causing it's customers

Paco

[paco]

Not a bad 700th post if you ask me

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally posted by paco


Now; what's the deal with No.9, SFP, Scratch X, Body Scrub etc. YOU GOT ME

Wait, you forgot DC#1 and MPPC!

[Scottwax]

I have a feeling once Meguiars rolls out the new products, they will take a hard look at what sells and what doesn't and adjust their product line to reflect those trends.

[the other pc]

Originally posted by Setec Astronomy
...so I don't think this is the best argument to call us hypocrites in regard to Meguiar's (I'm a Meg's guy too).

I didn't call anybody a hypocrite. I only pointed out that Meg's is not alone in serving multiple customers with (sometimes subtlety, sometimes significantly) different needs.

It's efficient to utilize the same technology for different customers if you can still meet each one's individual needs and Meg's certainly does that.

Yes, one can argue whether GM was right or wrong in closing Olds but they still have Buick and Chevy for traditional cars, Saturn for "alternative" cars, Saab for import cars, Cadillac for luxury cars and GMC for trucks. Different customers, different product lines but a lot of shared technology and supply chain.

As Autopians we actually have a different view than Meg's other customers and it's not surprising that we get the most confusing glimpse of their products. We're the ones that actually go hunting for all the products. We track down as many as we can to know what the deal is with each one so we can decide which we would prefer. Their other customers don't.

John Q. Public only sees what's on the shelf at Target and Wal-Mart like GC, QD and NXT. He has no idea that there's a #00, #34, #20, #16, #6, #26, etc.

Ernie Enthusiast only sees that and what's at Pep Boys and Autozone. He might add the #16, #7 and #9 to his list but he won't see products like DACP, #80, etc.

Detailer Dan will probably see the Pro and Detailer lines but not the Consumer.

Painter Pete, and Body Shop Bob will probably see just the Pro line but Pete won't concern himself with cleaners for old paint or waxes, just stuff for new paint like Diamond Cut and Speed Glaze.

Commercial Carwash Kate will likely only see the Detailer line because she's probably dealing with a sales rep and needs the bulk packaging.

Olivia OEM, like Painter Pete, is only concerned about new paint processes but will be dealing with a factory rep that will only present products she can use in bulk.

So there really isn't a too-many-products-to-choose-from situation for normal people, just the seriously compulsive like us.


PC.

[paco]

Nothing in their past suggest that they'll do that. NXT is only the latest launch they've had.

Honestly, it has more to do with them being not having clear information available for their products.

It wasn't that long ago we went through that exercise about rating their products abrasiveness from 1 - 10. What a chore that was, and for the most part, we probably still don't have it right! That was only a single factor of product performance that for the most part, should be very very very easy to distinguish.

No. 5 and No. 7 are a classic example.

New car glaze vs. Show Car Glaze. Same product line (Pro series).

What the hell is the difference? There is no way in reading the bottles that anyone can really tell if you should use No. 5 on an older vehicle. Being here and Mike providing some information, I think the difference is that one product works better in higher humidity climates but I'm really reaching on that one. This come from a avid Meguiar's user who for the most part, endorses their product!!! If it is in fact specific to climates etc., that should be clearly labelled.

Also, it should be easy to understand what the difference is between the Pro Line and Bodyshop line.

The difference between No. 2 and Speed Glaze and DACP should be easily distinguishable. Being here long enough, you can figure it out but even for the avid enthusist or professional, I bet you would be very hard press to now what the difference is. For the most part, most of us here only know because of Mike's excellent contribution. If he hadn't found this place and assisted us, we'd also be in the dark.

I'm not convinced that having all these products necessarily makes them more competitive or gives them an advantage. The fact is, that they have a huge distribution network, sales managers and technical people to correct the confusion. If they actually had better marketing, more comprehensive technical information and fewer duplicative products, I'm sure they'd be able to maintain sales or even increase profitability.

Then again, I don't have their market research data (which is usually biased to what the Marketing Director's was looking for), sales figures and history.

Then again, I'm the end user. I'm sure there are great many people that feel the same way and that's a lot of lost sales opportunities.

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally posted by the other pc
I didn't call anybody a hypocrite. I only pointed out that Meg's is not alone in serving multiple customers with (sometimes subtlety, sometimes significantly) different needs.

It's efficient to utilize the same technology for different customers if you can still meet each one's individual needs and Meg's certainly does that.

Yes, one can argue whether GM was right or wrong in closing Olds but they still have Buick and Chevy for traditional cars, Saturn for "alternative" cars, Saab for import cars, Cadillac for luxury cars and GMC for trucks. Different customers, different product lines but a lot of shared technology and supply chain.

Don't take my "hypocrite" remark too personally, I was just trying to argue that your GM example doesn't really make the point.

If you want a pickup from GM, you go to their truck division, GMC, right? Oh wait, Chevy, too....unless you want a Cadillac pickup, you go to them. And SUV's? I guess GMC, that makes the trucks, unless you want a Chevy SUV...or a Buick...or a Cadillac. But you can still trust if you want a "GM" import car, you can buy a Saab...unless you want one of those Austrailian GTO's...or Korean Aveo's...or Toyota...er...I mean Pontiac Vibe's.

I'm not sure if your point was that it's not confusing at GM...or that it's only confusing if you're trying to understand the breadth of their line. I have owned nothing but GM's...(well, there was that '66 Mustang that I had for a few months...), but if I want to buy a new vehicle, how do I do it? Do I decide I want to buy a Buick, and then go there and decide between the big cars and the SUV's? What if I want a small car? Or do I decide I want an SUV...and then try and figure out which of four dealers to go to?

Bottom line, Meguiar's isn't doing anything that dozens of other companies do in the way of marketing, packaging, and product differentiation. That doesn't mean we all have to like it. I like that GM has a lot of similar models (although not as many as they used to), because it gives you more chances to get a vehicle just like you want it--as long as you can figure out the differences between them. The problem that some of us have is figuring out what the differences are.

PS One of the things that is bad about trying to be all things to all people is when it dilutes the competitiveness of the company...GM had that problem with their "shared technology and supply chain" when they were putting Olds engines in Cadillacs...when there was the famous Business Week picture of 4 identical GM cars...except for the front and rear caps.

Oh...loved your little family of users!

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally posted by paco

Honestly, it has more to do with them being not having clear information available for their products.

It wasn't that long ago we went through that exercise about rating their products abrasiveness from 1 - 10. What a chore that was, and for the most part, we probably still don't have it right! That was only a single factor of product performance that for the most part, should be very very very easy to distinguish.

Well said.

[Aurora40]

Originally posted by ALAN81
AURORA 40........The point that I am bring out is that on the shelves is #26 GC Megs Cleaner Wax ECT.MEGS loads the sheves with all different products all at one price point.No I dont think they should stay at the same price point.In business companies give concessions and works with Target WM K-Mart for mark down money.This is behined the closed doors where you will never know about. A bigger mark down and you get a little more shelve space and so on and soforth.Its the old COKE and PEPSI story.In most stores around ,there are so many MEGs products on the shelf if your not a Autopian you sit there and scratch your head and ask a salesmam who doesn't know JACK

Well, in spite of what you say, I bet every single person here has been to a store before that sold detailing products. I personally have never seen one with a huge line of Meguiar's products from a similar category. Maybe they'll have a cleaner/wax, Gold Class, and Deep Crystal. But the differences in those are fairly clear. The cleaner/wax is a cleaner/wax. Deep Crystal is a $5 carnauba, and Gold Class touts itself as the flagship (or it did) and costs twice that. I've never seen Deep Crystal, #26, and #16 on the same shelf, or anything like that. And only at a pro shop have I seen #9 and SFP on the same shelf.

As to the rest of this about which product to choose, an example was brought up about #5 and how it's for places with higher humidity. But lets look at that. Say you could get #5, #3, #7, or Hand Polish from K-Mart. Well, it seems to me the difference between #3 and #7 is clear as one touts machine use, the other hand use. But it's not so clear about the rest. But here's the important thing. Whichever one you buy, it's gonna have the same result whether it has 4 other products next to it on the shelf, or no other products next to it. The contents of the bottle will not change. So if you get something that you like and it works, who the hell cares what the marketing copy is trying to position it as? If you don't want to look into it, you'll still have a product that works great. If you do want to know the exact differences, well it seems you are able to find them, because we all seem to now know that #5 is better in high humidity.

On the same note, what does them introducing new products have to do with confusion over their product line? The new product line won't cause one single product you already own to work differently than it did before. So why would new products somehow make you confused over how the existing ones work?

Oh, and Toyota doesn't share a lot of platforms? Are you kidding??

[Aurora40]

Originally posted by paco
It wasn't that long ago we went through that exercise about rating their products abrasiveness from 1 - 10. What a chore that was, and for the most part, we probably still don't have it right! That was only a single factor of product performance that for the most part, should be very very very easy to distinguish.

I for one though Mike made this crystal clear. Because some products have more chemical cleaner or more abrasive cleaner, they may be stronger on one particular paint, but weaker on another, so the respective ranking depends on what kind of paint you are using it on. Same with abrasive types, smaller abrasives that break down more slowly may make a product more abrasive by one application method than another, but maybe less abrasive with a different application method. So there is no one universal ranking. But you do get a good idea of the rankings right from the bottle. For example SFP is probably a ton milder than Diamond Cut no matter what kind of paint or application technique.

I think if you want to do serious correction on a car and minimize excessive paint removal, etc, it isn't too much to expect that you have some familiarity with the products you want to use, and that you do some testing to see which is the appropriate one for that job. I think if a company tried to tout just one polish as the one for serious defect removal, in spite of the ease of choosing what to buy, I'd be a little hesitant to use it.

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally posted by Aurora40

Oh, and Toyota doesn't share a lot of platforms? Are you kidding??

Thanks for catching that, of course they do, that's how it's done today, and for a long time.