Eureka Vacuum Cleaners

 

 

The Eureka vacuum cleaner brand is a household name in the United States.  The company has been in existence since 1909 when Fred Wardell founded it.  The company grew very rapidly for a long period of time and by 1927 Eureka was selling over one third of all of the vacuum cleaners that were being purchased throughout the United States.  In 1930 the company expanded even further and the making of Eureka vacuums was adjusted to also include small appliances and electric ranges.  Wardell believed in diversifying his company and eventually Eureka also made air conditioners, heaters, and school furniture.  An electric car was even manufactured by the Eureka Company in 1961.  In 1974 the company changed hands and was purchased by a Swedish company called AB Electrolux.  The name was then changed to The Eureka Company, and it still manufactures vacuum cleaners today, but these Eureka vacuums are manufactured by the AB Electrolux parent company. 

In the 1980s, Eureka vacuums had a wildly popular “Boss” line of cleaners.  These vacuums were shown to be tough and reliable, with good suction power.  The main idea was that they were stronger than other brands and they would hold up for longer.  That was why they were the ‘boss.’  These Boss Eureka vacuums sold very well for quite some time, partially because they were good vacuum cleaners and partially because of the strength of the advertising that surrounded them.  The marketing campaign for selling these vacuums was quite strong, which allowed the message that these were great vacuum cleaners to reach more people.  Another important idea behind the Boss cleaners was that they were less expensive than many of the brands that customers traditionally associated with excellent brands of vacuum cleaners such as Kirby and Rainbow.  While the Eureka vacuums were not of quite as high quality as those much more expensive brands they also were much lower in price and this attracted many consumers.  This is very similiar to the vacuums that the Oreck Vacuum company puts out.

 

These individuals soon discovered that the Boss Eureka vacuum was not only high quality for the price but was also of a lighter weight and less cumbersome design than the high-end vacuums.  In other words, the Boss performed approximately the same job for a lower price and an ease of use not possessed by the more expensive cleaners.  Because of this it remained a popular brand and a good seller for quite some time.  This does not mean that the Eureka vacuum was perfect or that there were no problems with it, however.  Some customers still found the vacuum to be too heavy because lighter models from other companies were available and most people have a preference for lighter vacuums because they are easier to use.  The Eureka vacuum, however, still continues to sell at a high level because they have changed their models to accommodate what consumers want.  When the Boss model stopped selling as well as it had been, Eureka brought out a cleaner that was lighter weight and marketed the ease of use that consumers would have with the new model of vacuum.  This kept individuals returning to purchase from the company for their next vacuum cleaner.