Out of Thin Air - Part 4 --- Know Your Market

Byron Woodruff / Paint Trix Inc.

Painting may not be the oldest profession known to man, but it must be one of the earliest requiring the use of tools.

History of the Market -- the brush reigns supreme

 In our last installment in this series, the parts had arrived and we were ready to assemble and ship product. But first, we have to make the sale. This is a good time to look back on painting and the development of previous paint tools to get a feel for this particular market. We need to know the "mindset" of our customers.

The earliest surviving works of art (or, any painting for that matter) are in the caves of Lascoux France, as well as in a few rock outcroppings in areas of Australia. These painted images of animals are of uncertain meaning, but date back more than 20 thousand years. In these caves we also see examples of the earliest examples of paint application technology. Although no brushes survive, clearly they were used. Bare hand application illustrates that finger painting was not always reserved for children in their first years of school. The most interesting (and soul searching) examples of a unique application method are the "ghost images" -- outlines of some long forgotten artist's hands. It has been determined that these hand outlines were achieved by the artist placing his hand against the cave wall and spitting the pigmented material (crude paint) from his mouth -- certainly the first recorded act of "spray painting." Also one of the first examples of the use of water base paint -- at least let's hope it was water base. Of these three methods employed in the ancient caves, the brush became the dominant tool of choice for painters -- thankfully. When you think about it, everything man has ever painted, for over 20,000 years, has been done with a brush. A large percentage of painting is still done that way today.

For countless generations, artisans, tradesmen, and artists, crafted their own brushes. This is an art that is nearly forgotten today. I imagine that in ancient times, there were a wide array of custom brushes, with each tradesman crafting their own to suit individual style or need. I am certain there were arguments in days of old over whether horse hair or yak hair made the better brush. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution of the last century that brushes began to become standardized and sold as commodities -- along with everything else in society. Mass production replaced hand-crafted.

The humble brush was the dominant application tool for over 20,000 years -- from prerecorded history to the jet age. That's a very long and secure history for any tool. "Recent" Competition The "sprayer" or, "conventional air sprayer," is a product of this century (1900s). It is certainly a product of the Industrial revolution, requiring (as it does) many complex technologies to exist before it could come together as an application tool. The roller has been with us about 50 years now. The airless sprayer is the "new kid on the block" -- just a "pup" in the long history of paint applicators.

Tradition

 Anytime you try and enter a market who's inventory includes tools that have been used for 20,000 years+...well, that market can best be described as "mature" -- very "mature." As the title implies, mature markets are pretty much set in their ways. After all, if you have been painting the same way for that length of time, change will not come easy. It took a generation before the roller was accepted. Acceptance required a change in the public's eye of what a proper finish should look like. The "stipple finish" produced by a roller was rejected at first. Such a finish was not easy to accept -- and still isn't -- in the eyes of many. Example: In many cases, you still have to make it look like it was brushed, even if you rolled it. You can roll the material on, but you have to "lay it off" with a brush.

The roller is, however, here to stay. As far as paint tools go, it had a remarkably fast rate of acceptance. I still find it hard to believe the roller was so long in coming. Perhaps it did make a debut or two in ancient times -- only to be "shot down" in the market. We will never know.

Not much to work with when you consider that in all of man's history we only have (3) basic tools used in the trade that cover (3) basic application methods, it would be presumptuous of any inventor to assume he is going to break new ground in this area. Virtually everything "new" to the trade is an "improvement" on one of the three basic application methods. Even so, many an inventor tries. He just can't help himself.

Pioneering new ground

 "New" does not come often in the painting trade. "Improved" or even, "rediscovered" is the more likely developmental and marketing path. An "improved" product is working from a level of customer acceptance -- you know and use such a tool already -- this is just a better version. Making the sale with an improved product hinges only on quality/price/value issues. Educating the customer is easy because he already recognizes the product. Virtually all products in a paint store fall into this category.

Our "Inventor" isn't going to find it so easy. He will be paddling on an uncharted river against the current. White-water rapids filled with boulders and churning water are likely to lay ahead. There are no maps. He doesn't have a clue what lies around each bend. No one can give him directions. There will be no place to stop for the night. If he ever rests, or falls asleep, the current will carry him back to where he started. He will have to commit himself completely and paddle with all his strength. His "invention" promises so much. He wants to make sure it gets there. He knows he will be going it alone. He will have to explain to everyone what his tool is and does -- both to dealer, and tradesman alike. He knows no one will ever buy something they don't recognize or understand. He is proud. He is motivated. He is willing, even happy, to educate each and everyone who will listen. He must spread the word. He is on a mission to turn "tradition" on it's head -- to show the world there is a better way. He plans to do this in a market that is 20,000+ years old.

He paddles forth...

Part 5 Rapids ahead -- The Market battle Begins

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