Conduct a diffusion analysis from the perspective of the home buyer, and develop appropriate strategies based on this analysis.

In 1989, James Hardie Siding Products launched a line of fi ber cement home siding products. The product was guaranteed against rotting or cracking for 50 years and had a warm, textured look that vinyl siding could not match. For most of the next decade, Hardie tried the traditional “push” approach of selling the product to builders, remodelers, and home improvement centers with ads and product demonstrations.

Unfortunately, builders did not like the siding. It was heavy, was hard on saw blades, and showed any fl aws in a poor frame job. In addition, there were other fi ber cement sidings available, so a builder or home improvement center that decided to use or carry the product would frequently buy on price.
In the late 1990s, Hardie’s USA President Lewis Gries decided to build a brand image for the siding, which was named Hardiplank. The project began with a very small budget of $500,000. The head of the ad agency chosen for the project stated:

The fi rst step was to do some research to fi nd out what homeowners thought about the building materials used in their homes. Our assumption was that siding was a lowinterest category but that turned out to be incorrect.

The research revealed that people are very emotional about their homes. When one focuses on what building materials provide, such as safety, security, beauty, and warmth, rather than what they actually are, home buyers and remodelers care a lot. This led the team to shift from a pure push (selling to builders and retailers who would then sell to home buyers) to more of a pull strategy (selling to home buyers who would then demand the product from builders and retailers).