FBI plan: Testing more, launching less
Ray Allegrezza, Editor-in-chief -- Furniture Today, February 23, 2009
Ralph Scozzafava, CEO of Furniture Brands International, is a guy who can chew gum and make soup at the same time.
If you recall, before he joined FBI in May of 2008, he did a long stint with Wrigley, known for its chewing gum and mints. Earlier, he was with Campbell's Soup.
So, what does soup and chewing gum have to do with his vision at Furniture Brands? Nothing ... and everything. Like everyone trying to move forward on this slippery slope we call the home furnishings business, Scozzafava is attempting to walk up a greased mountain barefoot. But because of a solid understanding of brands and consumer research, he may have a bit of a competitive advantage.
Here's why: Earlier in the year, Scozzafava reported that part of FBI's strategy for improved profitability would come from an investment in consumer testing, which would be conducted prior to the launch of new products. He said that beginning in 2009, all of FBI's major new introductions would reflect this consumer research and testing.
Simply put, Scozzafava's plan is to introduce less, but have more of it stick.
Sometimes, day-to-day fires cause you to put sound strategies on the back burner. Not this time. If you visited the Broyhill showroom at the Las Vegas market, you saw a very visible sign that FBI was making good on that promise.
Draped across what appeared to be a stylish new bedroom suite was bright yellow tape, the kind you see at an accident scene.
After talking with Scozzafava and other execs from the company, I learned that this suite had not scored high enough during the consumer testing process and, as a result, would not be made available for sale.
Talk about a man bites dog kind of story! I found it compelling, especially at a time when everyone is hungry for sales — and this suite already had the interest of a number of Broyhill dealers. But as Scozzafava told me, "It's not like this suite was all wrong; it's more of the case of it not being right enough to bring to market."
Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. That simple yellow tape allowed Broyhill to speak volumes about how it is attempting to help dealers during this tough time.
If you missed the Broyhill showroom, check out the video on our Web site.
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