April 29, 2007

Dutch Boy® The Paint for Every Generation

Top Industry Brand Celebrates 100th Anniversary; Still Providing Consumers With Innovative Products and Decorating Solutions

Cleveland, Ohio - Since 1907 Dutch Boy® Paint has been one of the most recognizable and trusted paint brands in the United States.  The Dutch Boy icon was originally created to symbolize a superior method for creating paint products known as the “Dutch Process.”  The Dutch Process originated in 16th Century Holland and originally referred to the way the Dutch impeccably maintained the exteriors of their home. This, in turn, served to set the standard for paint quality and beauty for centuries.

In the competitive world of product image-making, Dutch Boy is one trademark that has kept step with the marketplace.  This year, the blue-eyed, blond character, dressed in wooden shoes, blue overalls and cap (also known as 'The Kid'), celebrates 100 years as the symbol of quality paint.

The original Dutch Boy painting was created by Lawrence Michael Earl.  The model was a nine-year old New Jersey boy named Michael Brady who possessed the perfect features for the Dutch Boy Paint image.  The Dutch Boy logo underwent at least nine face lifts over the years, keeping his overalls, cap and traditional Dutch hairstyle.  The original Dutch Boy image was revived in 1987 and is currently used today.

Legend has it that the youth was instructed to wear the Dutch Boy costume for several days prior to the initial sitting so that the clothes might acquire a “lived in” look.

The personality that was captured on the artist's canvas was an immediate success.  “Through several generations, 'The Kid' has continued to portray the quality that makes Dutch Boy paints distinctive and unique,” said Adam Chafe, Dutch Boy Vice President of Marketing. “Even today, the Dutch Boy logo is an art form that doubles as a marketing tool. It creates immediate brand awareness and draws in loyal consumers which naturally, is the most important function of a product symbol.”

"A recently concluded consumer research study revealed that 96-percent of consumers interviewed recognize Dutch Boy as a paint brand," Chafe continued. “Consumers want assurance of product quality and well-established, identifiable brands build confidence because they impart a consistent, familiar degree of product reliability.”

Over the years, the brand has had a number of industry-firsts: In 1960, Dutch Boy Paint began marketing exterior latex paint.  Dutch Boy introduced an exterior latex which, when mixed with the appropriate additive (a primer-like product), created one of the first one coat exterior applications.

By 1976, Dutch Boy concentrated its efforts on the national paint market.  With the introduction of the Dirt Fighter® product family, and the campaign slogan “The paint that fights dirt and wins,” Dutch Boy aggressively attracted the do-it-yourself painter.  The ad campaign emphasized high-quality ingredients and the superior results one would achieve with Dirt Fighter.

In 1977, ELT Inc. bought the Dutch Boy brand and immediately changed its name to Dutch Boy, Inc.  The Sherwin-Williams Company purchased the assets of Dutch Boy Paint from Dutch Boy Inc. in 1980.

In 1993 Dutch Boy introduced Kid's Room® paint – a special coating product designed specifically to provide extra durability and washability in those rooms where parents truly needed a performance-based product.

As the brand approached 100 - and reaching such 'an advanced age' - you may not think of Dutch Boy as a recent innovator in the marketplace...

Being one to hardly rest on its laurels, the brand has been busier than ever, bringing a host of new products and packaging breakthroughs with its commitment to quality and simple innovations. In 2002, Dutch Boy introduced the 'Twist & Pour®' paint container, an all-plastic gallon that features an easy twist-off, twist-on lid; then it introduced the Ready-to-Roll™ 2-1/2 gallons, project-sized paint tray, and last year, the Color Simplicity™ paint selection system, the easiest and most complete system that takes the pain out of paint selection. The latter introduction also included a breakthrough partnership with Crayola®, with a special 96-color palette of exclusive Crayola Kid's Room colors.

And for 2007, Dutch Boy just keeps on rolling, as it unveils two more innovative home decor market breakthroughs: Scented Ceiling Solutions II (a new, pleasantly scented ceiling coating); and its poster-sized, actual paint Dimensions Color Samples that are large, 17.5-inch x 24-inch sized, so consumers can actually see and live with their choice of colors before they actually buy and paint.

With all this innovation, and showing no signs of slowing down after 100 years, Dutch Boy continues to be an industry leader in delivering quality paint products and innovative solutions while continuing to be one of the most recognizable brands in the market today – you might just say The Kid's still alright.