In order to decide which feature of the Duet would make the most appealing, sustainable news hook, PR21 surveyed and analyzed Whirlpool and its competitors’ media content. In addition, Whirlpool needed to communicate the benefits of this washer and dryer to remodelers and home builders, many of whom play a major role in making decisions about the appliances placed in new and remodeled homes. Values progress towards achieving home life goals and life balance.Holding high performance expectation of appliances.Time constrained, reliant on home appliances and services.Energetically involved in life’s activities.Whirlpool’s target consumer audience has been nicknamed “The Active Balancer,” and is described as: Moreover, due to budget cuts, the Duet had little to no advertising support for the first year of its launch, so Whirlpool relied on the power of PR to spark consumer interest. And the Duet faced tough consumer-recognition competition from the Maytag Neptune, a front-loading machine that beat the pair to market. PR21 carefully timed its outreach to create a sustainable buzz around the product that would begin concurrent with the products’ arrival in stores and would continue throughout the year.Ĭonsumers needed to be educated about the category of front-loading washer and dryers and persuaded of the advantages of a high-priced appliance. PR21 and Whirlpool conducted a full-scale media relations campaign to generate awareness and consumer interest in this new product, with no support from advertising. The Duet is extremely gentle and provides superior fabric care, allowing consumers to wash items that previously had to be dry-cleaned uses 28 percent less water and 27 percent less electricity than standard washers is ergonomically designed for ease of loading and unloading and features a high-temperature sanitizing cycle that kills 99.999 percent of bacteria on clothing without the use of chemicals. While the Duet, which can retail for up to $2000 per pair, represents one of the highest-priced laundry appliances on the market, it has several advantages over the competition. It also presented a communications challenge for a company trying to step outside of that white box.
This new pair represents a distinct departure from the traditional top-loading ‘white box’ that dominates the appliance market in the US. In 2001, the company conducted its first United States launch of a high-end, front-loading washer and dryer pair. It’s not a new car it’s the Duet washer from Whirlpool. It’s sleek, powerful, fast, German-engineered yet all-American, and it represents the latest state-of-the-art technology.