Even before they formally started Hillcrest Products, Inc., William Grady and his son, Richard were seeking a brand name for a new product they had developed, an all-purpose glass cleaner. The two men had perfected a chemical formula for a liquid cleaner and then had formed a corporation to produce and market the product. They had also developed a line of related products, a cleaner for optical lenses, a whitewall tire cleaner, and a cleaning product designed to remove lipstick, chewing gum, and similar substances from dishes and glasses in eating and drinking establishments. The main item in the product line, however, was to be the all-purpose liquid glass cleaner. It would compete with such products as Windex, Glass Wax, Easy-Off glass cleaner, and Bon Ami. The new product was considered distinctly superior to all competitive products on the market in that it was the only one, which left no film. Contrary to their advertising claims all other brands contained soap, alcohol, ammonia, or other film depositing materials. The Hillcrest product was also non-toxic so that if children accidentally drank some of it, no harm would result. 

The cleaner was intended to be applied in a spray and then wiped off with a clean cloth or soft paper towel. It removed dirt by emulsification processes that are, dirt was lifted and suspended in the cleaner and then wiped off. Hence, it left no film. Obviously, the potential market for such a product was big, so the company did not want to select a name, which would suggest limitations of user or type of user. It could be used for household cleaning, and it could be produced in concentrated form for janitorial work in the industrial market. It was ideal for cleaning automobile windshields, so gasoline service stations were customers. Photographic and electronic manufacturers tried it and were pleased with the results on their precision instruments. The Grady’s thought of many possible names for the product during the course of its development. They also got countless suggestions from personal and business associates. 

The choice was finally narrowed to the following group names:

1. Kleer-Glass
2. Haze-A-Way
3. Easy-Shine
4. Window-Kleen
5. Film-B-Gone
6. Shine-O
7. Lustre-Plus
8. Quick-n-Silk
9. Goldenrod
10. Kleen-Sheen
11. Crystal-Shine
12. Keenest

Evaluate this case using a situation analysis, also choose one of the suggested names, or suggest one of your own.

 
 

RUBRIC 10 for correct selection of firm type with justification; 0 for incorrect selection of firm # 1 KIND OF FIRM CATEGORY type 20 for best 2 MARKETING ORIENTATION selections with justification; 10 for next best selection with SITUATION ANALYSIS OUTLINE/GUIDE justification 20 for listing four 3 MARKETING OBJECTIVES or more complete objectives with focal points; 15 for minimum of three complete objectives with OBJECTIVES SELECT TWO Manufacturer Wholesaler Jobber Retailer Industrial Distributor Sales Office Branch/Corporate Office Franchise JUSTIFY Select One: PRODUCTION ORIENTATION SALES ORIENTATION MARKETING ORIENTATION List a minimum of four marketing objectives. Start each with: To be To get To Focus on what is and what should be