Festool marketing -Is there a problem?

Paul G said:
TBH I'm not seeing the relevancy of this to the topic of the thread, maybe you could try and clarify.
it is a possible reason for the difference in attitudes that if addressed could encourage a different way of looking at tools, as being worth spending enough to get quality. Instead of the minimum to get the job done (HF).
 
They convinced me, a part-time hobbyist, to spend $10k on their tools in the past six mos.  I think their marketing dept is doing okay.  :)
 
It's fascinating how the internet spawns these discussions which in the past might only be held in company backhalls after a meeting.

I'm relatively new to the festool world, young at heart, physically and mentally in good to excellent shape for my age. Interests are broad ranging, music, photography, gardening, and now a recently resurrected passion/small business plan for doing kitchen installs, woodworking/repairs /restoring/painting..

I've always had a set of okay quality woodworking tools at my disposal. Recently when tooling up for a job I bought  metabo 90mm and 125mm orbital sanders, and needed to pair them with a dust extractor. I looked at the Festool CT Midi compared to the other brands and even though it was 2X the price I just dived in. Size and design were the deciding factors.

The Festool brand means among other things great dust control. I worked a couple hours yesterday sanding down some outdoor furniture using the CT Midi. It  was really surreal/disorienting to look at the workarea when I was finished, it was spotless!  Only a few chips of paint laying loosely on the tabletop..I was stunned !!

The other tool I've been using lately the Carvex 420 cordless jigsaw absolute a speed demon for small jobs away from the "mains".

Regarding marketing, looking at price point versus value I think Festool is on the right track.

Marketing has to be backed up with quality, if it's not there it can backfire. At least here Festool is on the right track.

For people on a budget many tasks can be accomplished with cheaper tools. But if you need efficiency, are on stage in front of your employers, where every difficulty is seen by 100 people, an effective tool and a clean organized worksite is a very good investment and will get you future jobs.

As far as selling to a younger crowd, they have other priorities, need money for entertaining their girlfriends and social life, they should be out travelling seeing the world, then they are having to pay for their education, or first home.. So unless they have rich parents, or have a inheritance or a speciel situation, they just won't have the ready cash.

Then again if their workplace does speciel jobs that need the precision of high end tools, then they will likely be getting their hands on tools of Festool quality level. They just won't be buying then for  their hobby workshop.

I would predict that someone working fulltime with high end projects within say a very short time of 3-5 years would discover Festool system tools. Efficiency is money in the field.

In Denmark I see alot of Festool track saw systems and the  Kapex , also the drills CXS  C12 are very popular. The CT dust control is becoming universal for pro's painters/fine carpenters/remodllers of all age groups. The very serious education system/apprentice system for the trades here might have something to do with that.

The older generation here is not as loose with their money as far as getting high end tools or gadgets of any type, they want to travel, spend time with their grandchildren, etc, there's alot of possibilties to choose from. Danes are realists, practical in the current economic climate somewhat tight with money. Festool here then is not in my opinion relagated to the rich older woodworkers..

Just a few thoughts.

Personally I've already outlined my shopping plans for my Festool setup to come. I'm fascinated by the system approach and the quality of the individual components. I'll be going for the MFT3 and the MFS closely followed by the OF 1010 next..

 
I recently bought a BMW. On the BMW web site are short videos that explain how to use the navigation system, set the garage door openers, how. To use the entertainment system, and so on. These videos are very well done.

I know there are tons of YouTube videos on Festool products and some are excellent. Some are far from useful.

I don't know if this idea would be called marketing, but it would be nice to have the best videos featured on the Festool site and in a "channel" on YouTube.
 
I fall into the 3rd category outlined by the OP

I am a 27 year old carpenter working for a design and build firm. I primarily build cabinetry, furniture and do finish carpentry. I have a lot of colleagues in my age group and at my skill level and we all know Festool's reputation.

I own a Festool drill and sander, but the majority of my other tools are made by other companies. For a younger person the price can be the only deterrent from purchasing these tools. With the price, comes a certain stigma however, which I hear from nearly every trades person I come in contact with. For example, I can't go one week without someone asking me how much either of my Festools cost, this doesn't happen with any other tools I own. More than once I've had someone on a job site tell me that my money was "burning a hole in my pocket".

Is there a way to appeal to more people in my age bracket that are either employed by others, or self employed and starting out? I think the road show is a great way to do this (although every class near me is during the week and I don't want to miss a day of work) as well as using more social media outlets to display the benefits of some of the tools. Since Festool pricing is not very competitive is there a way to offer financing on tools similar to how Hilti works? This could certainly get more tools onto job sites in the hands of people my age.

I see the value in most Festool products. After owning two of them and sampling others you begin to justify the price of the next purchase. I think as soon as you use one of the tools you immediately understand the price tag. 
 
Thank you all for your contributions to this discussion, there was certainly a wide range of thoughts.   [smile]

Zack, representing category three highlighted many of the issues facing young trades persons such as worksite image, cost, reputation and peer relationships. The recognition that Festool is a high quality but unobtainable for some trade persons is an issue.

Kev highlighted the programs that Festool Aust has in trade and post primary schools. I imagine there are similar programs in Europe. Support to apprentices and the early years of trade experience could as some others said, be further supported by scholarships, discount programs and sponsorship of Awards Schemes/exhibitions.

There was some response to my statement of 'rubbish tools'. I meant what I said. Working at weekends in a hardware store I know there are some rubbish  brands, for example; an angle grinder that will only last around two hours. And there are some brands such as Ryobi and Worx that do offer genuine value in most of their range.

Many posts highlighted the pleasure of use through the design and quality of the Festool 'system' . This is a significant attraction, particularly to those on categories 1 and 2.

However, some posts made the jump that other products made in  Germany, for example cars, were also of high quality. Certainly the ones mentioned are, but two German car manufacturers are having problems in Australia. A few years ago so was a train manufacturer. Here I make the point that Festool justifies it's cost in the quality of design and construction. Others too can make this claim, but then fail to understand the unique needs of foreign markets.

In summary, Festool's best marketing tool is word of mouth. As we talk on the job site, over a beer, on you tube or with friends in a shed, Festool' s reputation and therefore sales grow. Fortunately the back up Festool offers, has in the vast majority of cases and in most markets been there to back us.
 
Jerome said:
Paul G said:
Seems like your 3rd category is mostly folks without the resources to pay premium prices for premium tools. I've done a lot with so called rubbish tools, still do.

...

Improve the education teach the benifit of buying good and looking after the tools and you might even get most trades people to respect their tools.

I feel that it's education all the way. Advertising isn't bad but education is better.

I agree completely with you that education is the right thing to concentrate on.  In fact, good education is almost always the path to solution to most problems.
 
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