Marketing and all things related

In a former life, Marketing Blurb turned the sleepy wallpaper industry on its ear by launching an in-store stocking program for mass merchants and home centers. The product was Borden Home Wallcovering, and the pitch was “buy it today, hang it tonight.” The old two-step "special order from your paint store" business never recovered, and today there are in-stock wallpaper programs in all kinds of stores. Well, we learned from Media Post Publications (free registration required,)  that Procter & Gamble is executing a similar ploy from the Marketing Blurb play book. P&G has decided to enter the do-it-yourself market with a line of designer wall finishes. The test marketing includes Home Depot stores in the St. Louis area, supported by promotional appearances from HGTV design guru Vern Yip. The product is patterned paint on a roll, which unlike wallpaper, uses a peel-off backing for dry application. The designs are intended to overlap so there is no need to worry about butting seams. Marketing Blurb thinks this product sounds like a fine idea, and we regret the cow died.