In Hindu mythology there is a wish fulfilling cow that never runs out of milk.  She is known as Kamadenu.  In Norse mythology there is a goat whose udder fills Valhalla with mead forever. The current terminology in the west for such a thing as applied in the business world is “cash cow”, while the old way of saying it was “milch cow”, with the word milch defined as a cow kept for milking.  By the 1600’s the term “milch cow” was also used for a person or source that others drain for money again and again, usually someone easy to exploit.  I am sorry to point this out, but that is what most big companies see their customers as: “milch cows”.  Consumers are easily exploitable, and the corporate models and products are designed to do exactly that.

I realize that in today’s world of political correctness, many people are instantly offended by any such “negative” speech.  Very well, if you are one of those people that prefer to live in oblivious stupor while being robbed and exploited, then stop reading now and go play with your toys elsewhere because you won’t like what you hear in this blog post.  If you prefer to live in truth and awareness and not let others abuse you, then please read on. 

A good example of the milch cow business model is shaving razors.  The razor companies have a vested interest in making sure their blades fail after just a few shaves so that you can come back for more, again and again and never stop buying.  They lure customers in with a nearly free handle, then milk you with recurring blade purchases.  When they know perfectly well that technology is available to make blades that give you a year or more of good service.  I once met a young lady whose father developed such a razor blade. They were trying to bring it to market, but I believe it never made it.  Perhaps the technology was better suited to the business model of $200 electric razors.  Either way, consumers are left shortchanged with little variation between brands and a low ceiling in product efficacy and a total loss in potential cost efficiency.

This model is deployed across the finish coatings business.  They make products that they know will fail over time.  That part is planned obsolescence, but that strategy does not live alone.  It is accompanied by the following:

            > Reappropriation of waste by-products

            > Ultra-low production costs

            > High profit margins

            > Industry Capture - where competing brands are not much more than franchises of the very same chemical ingredient supplier

It’s not a coincidence that an industry supports a single finishing paradigm, such as film forming plastic polymer coatings.  It happens because it creates an ecosystem that supports their profiteering and industry capture and that is propped up by trade associations and their “educational” programs.  The very same game is played in politics, limit the choices and the voices, create a consensus even if illogical or dysfunctional proposals are offered and control the masses.  If a product is weak, it needs replacement more often, and that often includes the need for supporting it with ancillary products and maintenance products or new shows and dramas to keep the lie going.

So, when it comes to finish tech, don’t just believe the zeitgeist because the zeitgeist is molded, formed, and shaped to suit the agendas of the corporations that have controlled and captured the industry.  Innovation that threatens their business model and frees their milch cows is suppressed, stifled, attacked, and slandered.

Okay now, maybe I didn’t tell you anything you don’t already know.  So, what alternative does Odie’s offer?  We free you from the chemical peddlers that have been draining you of your cash.  Here’s how.:

            > Finishes and protectants that are made to outlast all others by massive margins 

            > Ingredients that have been selected for ultimate safety and environmental sustainability

            > Products whose applications are clean and non-polluting

            > Products that offer ultimate versatility and utility - essentially any OCOOW product, any surface - no need to buy a different product for every type of surface material

            > Factory production that is non-polluting

            > Greater coverage ounce per ounce, dollar per dollar than any other competing products

            > Overall far lower cost, labor, and maintenance

            > A substantially better look and feel to treated surfaces

So, do yourself a favor and free yourself from the captures that would bleed you dry, poison you and your living environment for their own gain.  They know they are delivering inferior products with only one thing in mind - profiteering.  Please don’t defend them because they are not defending you.

Blog post written by Michael Tinghitella, Director of Sales and Odie’s Copywriter