I love bags (all kinds) but I have never been the type to buy a bag just because everyone else has one. Until recently. A couple of months ago I bought a Longchamp tote bag after a friend of mine gushed about its utility and durability while still remaining fashionable (I swore I would never carry a backpack during business school). I resisted buying one for the longest time since every female seemed to be carrying one but I always wondered why the bags were so popular. After talking to my friend about the bag, I quickly realized that the bag appealed to a demographic of women that I considered myself a part of. Just by looking at my bag, colleagues, friends, networking associates and future friends could place me and hopefully feel comfortable approaching me. Now that’s the power of a brand – not only does a brand promise certain features or characteristics to the customer, it also says something about the customer.
Extrapolating this to the power tools industry (I know – tools and fashion bags don’t mix but humor me). Tools say something about the tradesmen (probably something along the lines of “I know what I am doing”). Therefore if tradesmen think B&W doesn’t show that professionalism for tradesmen then they won’t buy B&W tools despite their great quality. So what should B&D do? In my opinion, they should get a brand ambassador (someone like my friend, probably more popular and rugged and all those other characteristics of tradesmen). Someone highly regarded in the tradesmen’ industry who will show that B&W is every bit (pun unintended) as good as Makita and Milwaukee or even better.