Whirlpool Corp. details branding quandry

This event report describes how Whirlpool Corp., the American manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, struggled with brand alignment at the same time as its washing machine brand – called Whirlpool – suffered from identity confusion.

Whirlpool Corp. details branding quandry

Geoffrey PrecourtWarc

The marketing dilemma was simple: One name supported two different brand identities.

Whirlpool, to Americans who keep an eye and ear our for laundries and kitchens, is an estimable product that tracks back almost 70 years and the development of automatic spinner-type washing machines. Whirlpool Corp., on the other hand, is a $20-billion house of brands that includes such top-of-mind (and market) offerings as Maytag, KitchenAid, HotPoint, Inglis, and Jenn-Air … as well as Whirlpool, the old reliable washing machine.

"We also needed to get alignment and cohesiveness amongst our brands," admitted...

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