Jones Blair Company Case Study

Running head: CASE ANALYSIS: JONES BLAIR COMPANY

Case Analysis: Jones Blair Company

Matthew S. Brauninger

Grand Canyon University: MKT 450

January 7, 2012

Case Analysis: Jones Blair Company

The Jones Blair Company is a multi-million dollar business that has been a part of the architectural paint industry since 1928. Based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area in Texas, the company produces a wide variety of architectural coatings and paint sundries for the United States and other countries around the world. Despite their success over the years, the company has had to face many tough decisions in regards to marketing their products in order to remain competitive within such a lucrative industry.

The architectural paint coatings industry can be characterized as a mature market. A mature market is defined as “a market that has reached a state of equilibrium marked by the absence of significant growth or innovation” (InvestorWords, 2011). With that being said, one can see how difficult it can be for just one company out of many, to remain profitable within a somewhat stagnate market. In addition to the sluggish market, profitable companies of the past have become onlookers to stores such as The Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware who have catered towards the Do-It-Yourself demographic within the industry forcing smaller firms to either close up shop or merge with a larger company. These competitor issues as well as the research and development of a higher quality of paint and the constant changes in technology in regards to the applications of architectural coatings, contribute to the lethargic moving market. Some paints now include a primer which hurt companies who rely on selling or distributing primers in order to make a profit. This as well as the lesser amount of product required to complete a project due to innovative application techniques reduces a company’s gallon volume and reduces their bottom line.

Another factor that can determine how...