Millennial DIY and Kitchen Degreasers

Delivered March 1st, 2020. Contributors: Hillary O., Justin B., Christine P. and

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Millennial DIY Motivations

The primary motivations for millennial first time homeowners to take on DIY home improvement projects include saving money, increasing home value, enhancing home livability, impressing friends, showing off before and after pictures on social media, amping up the beauty of their homes, and adding their own personality to their homes.
Why Millennials Prefer DIY Home Improvement ProjectsOver 70% of millennials prefer DIY home projects to hiring a professional. 
Almost 95% of millennials have some sort of home improvement project planned in the next three years. Millennial first-time homeowners are particularly interested in investing in starter homes or fixer uppers so they can make more substantial upgrades to these properties. 
A survey by Coinstar found that among first time homeowners who are millennials, 60% said that saving money is the main motivator for starting a DIY home project. The study revealed that 39% said increasing home value is the primary motivator for doing a DIY home project. Another motivator for these individuals is increasing the livability or functionality of their homes (35%).  
A study by Harris Poll revealed that almost 20% of millennial first-home homeowners mentioned impressing friends or sharing before and after pictures on social media as the main reasons they undertake a DIY home improvement project. 
Around 19% of millennials who undertake DIY projects do so to increase the beauty or aesthetics of their homes, while 15% do so to add durable materials or appliances to their homes. 
Millennials prioritize personalization. About 10% of first time homeowners within this demographic take on DIY projects to add their own personality to the home. 
To millennial first-time owners, undertaking a DIY home project is self-fulfilling. They consider this task an accomplishment. Millennials also say that undertaking DIY home projects makes them feel like adults. 
Millennials: DIY Home Project InsightsMillennials have the highest confidence when taking on DIY home projects, with 26% saying they are very skilled at them.
Compared to other generations, millennials (70%) are most likely to create a budget for DIY home projects.
About 80% of millennials who are first time owners are driven to complete a DIY home project urgently.
The most popular DIY home projects done by millennials include closet renovation (69%), basement conversion to living area (56%), hardwood flooring refinish (56%), kitchen upgrade (51%), bathroom renovation (50%), attic conversion to living area (50%), and insulation upgrade (46%).  
Almost 45% of millennial homeowners "have felt embarrassed by their lack of home maintenance knowledge, while 60% feel pressure to make their home look a certain way in order to impress friends or acquaintances." 
About 31% of millennial homeowners find it embarrassing to tell their friends "that they hired someone for a home improvement project instead of opting to DIY." 

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Kitchen Degreaser Marketing Strategy, Part 1

Krud Kutter's tagline is "Tough on krud, gentle on nature!" while Simple Green uses the tagline "You can clean it all" for its degreaser. For its Kitchen Greaser, Goo Gone's tagline is "Goo Bye." The marketing strategies used for these products can be found in the attached spreadsheet. 
SUMMARYTo market its brand, Krud Kutter, Rustoleum leverages targeted display advertising on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It also uses radio ads, digital banner ads, and PPC (pay-per-click) marketing.
Krud Kutter has an official Twitter and Facebook page. However, it appears it does not post much on these accounts - its Facebook page has not been updated since 2015, while its Twitter page was last updated in 2018. Nonetheless, the product line is frequently advertised on the Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accounts of Rustoleum. 
Simple Green uses YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to market its product. 
The brand also runs sweepstakes to engage consumers and promote its products. Other forms of marketing include digital banner ads on its website, organizing events, and TV commercials.
Goo Gone's marketing strategies include print ads, OOH (out-of home) marketing including billboard ads, banner ads, and social media ads - specifically, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 In the past, it has done TV commercials. However, its last TV ad aired in 2013. 

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Kitchen Degreaser Marketing Strategy, Part 2

The required information for Formula 409 Multi-Surface Cleaner, Method Cleaning Products Kitchen Degreaser, and Ajax Ultra Super Degreaser have been provided in columns F-H, rows 3-7 of the attached spreadsheet. Recent marketing examples for Formula 409 Multi-Surface Cleaner, Method Cleaning Products Kitchen Degreaser, and Ajax Ultra Super Degreaser have been provided in the attached documents.
Selected Findings
Formula 409 describes its Multi-Purpose Cleaner as a "workhorse cleaner" that is capable of killing "99.9% of germs with every wipe." 
Method Products describes its Kitchen Degreaser (Heavy-Duty Degreaser) as a naturally-derived grease-buster. 
Ajax Ultra claims that its Super Degreaser is capable of stripping grease and removing stuck-on food, will leave dishes sparkling clean, contains fresh lemon scent, and made with 100% real citrus extracts. 
Research Strategy
To identify the marketing channels that Formula 409, Method Products, and Ajax Ultra are using to promote their specific products, we examined the websites of the brands and their parent company (if applicable), social media accounts, and advertisement databases such as iSpot TV, Ads of the World, and Moat. Formula 409, Method Products, and Ajax Ultra are using their websites to promote their products. The websites of the parent company of Formula 409 (The Clorox Company) and Ajax Ultra (Colgate-Palmolive Company) also feature information on their products.

Formula 409 does not have any social media accounts. Method Products has published the same post on its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages to promote the Kitchen Degreaser (Heavy-Duty Degreaser). Ajax Ultra's Facebook page features its Triple Action dish soap only. iSpot TV, Ads of the World, and Moat did not provide any print advertisements or TV spots that specifically promote the Formula 409 Multi-Surface Cleaner, Method Cleaning Products Kitchen Degreaser, and Ajax Ultra Super Degreaser.

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Kitchen Degreaser Marketing Strategy, Part 3

Easy Off Kitchen Degreaser is a lemon-scented cleaning product focused on kitchen degreasing while Zep Commercial All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser is focused on professional degreasing. Details about their messaging, tagline, marketing channels, and recent marketing examples have been provided in the attached spreadsheet. Below is a summary of their findings.
Easy Off Kitchen DegreaserEasy Off states that its degreaser is good for back-splash, cook-top, stove-top, kitchen counter and cabinets, oven sink, and grease traps on the microwave with an ability to remove tough grease and grime within seconds.
Easy Off's tagline, is removes tough grease & grime in seconds.
The company's main marketing channels are television advertisements and e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Walmart.
The company's most recent television advertisement, which depicts the cleanliness of ovens especially when family and friends are over at the house, can be found on its website.
Zep Commercial All Purpose Cleaner & DegreaserZep states that its degreaser works particularly well for tough grease and grime in the kitchen or garage.
The company's tagline, is Clean Like a Pro.
Zep uses Pinterest, Amazon, and YouTube to market its products.
The company's most recent advertisement, which talks about how well its product works and its focus on professional cleaning, can be found on YouTube.