Page 15 - BOSS Today Issue 23

NOTEPAD

REVOLUTION

Once again, BOSS Today is

encouraged to find new life in
the traditional notebooks and
notepads category…

or many, notebooks and marketed – casebound vs wire
Fnotepads – along with filing bound – made no sense to
supplies, envelopes and writing end-users, who cared very little
instruments – represent the about the type of binding their
very essence of the ‘traditional’ notepad had. Paper weight was
office supplies market. Used also being used as a determinate
by all, but often given little of quality – and therefore price
thought – these ‘legacy’ – but again, this measure was
products can be regarded as not understood by consumers.
merely utilitarian, and indeed Both of these approaches
in some areas the sector has only tended to encourage
become commoditised and manufacturers and distributors
flooded with low priced imports. to compete only on price point,
Furthermore, with the onrush resulting in a devaluation of the
of the ‘digitisation’ trend, there market.”
is an argument that demand for What the Hamelin research
notebooks and notepads could concluded was that end-users
be in irretrievable decline. purchased these products
But as Philip Beer, Managing primarily according to who they
Director Of Hamelin Brands, were, and secondly by product
points out, there has recently size. This understanding resulted
been a quiet revolution in this in Hamelin marketing their
market which has turned its products according to three user
prospects around: “Five years categories: Professional; General
ago, Hamelin commissioned Office; and Student.
a major consumer research This fundamental change
study which concluded that the – subsequently adopted by
traditional method by which other players – has enabled
these products were being manufacturers to drive the

July/August 2014 | BOSS TODAY 15

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