New Hoover EmPower Bagless Upright Puts You in Control

March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Let's face it: life's hectic. With so many rules to follow, it sometimes feels like things are out of control. The floor care experts at Hoover were curious to find out how people would react to the thought of being more empowered by making their own rules in life. The company found, in its Hoover EmPower America Study conducted by RoperASW, that people overwhelmingly chose the "amount of time available in a day to do what they want" as the thing most "out of control" in their lives. In fact, 43 percent of respondents ages 35-49 chose managing time better as the most important thing they would change if they could make their own rules in life.

Hoover commissioned the study as a lighthearted way to communicate the company's understanding of consumers' desires when it comes to managing their lives -- and to show how Hoover can help. In this case, that desire is to have more hours in the day and the help comes with a new product designed to let people clean on their own terms.

In reality, who wouldn't want to make their own rules in life? "If it were up to me . . ." is everyone's favorite daydream. That may be wishful thinking, but now there's a clean slice of life you can control, at least one thing you can do on your own terms: vacuum!

The new, lightweight, fully-assembled Hoover EmPower bagless upright (being introduced at the 2004 International Home and Housewares Show, March 20-22 at McCormick Place, in Chicago) puts busy people in control of their vacuum cleaning so they can move on to more important things.

Variety of features put consumers in control
By providing options to clean when, how and where you want, Hoover makes cleaning easier, more convenient -- even fun.

"Hoover understands that while cleaning is not the number one priority for many busy people, it's a must-do part of life. That's why we designed the Hoover EmPower upright," said Annette Bravard, vice president-marketing. "Our research shows that people are looking for more time and flexibility in their day. This vacuum cleaner puts you in control so you get back to the more important things in life. By providing an adaptable and effective cleaning product, Hoover helps customers do the job right the first time, so they have that all-important time for enjoyment."

- Hard to find a time to clean without interrupting others in the household? For times when you want to clean with less noise, convert the Hoover EmPower cleaner to Hush mode. Hush mode lowers the noise level, allowing you to clean on your own terms -- when the baby is sleeping or during a favorite TV program.

- Looking for more power to pick up extra-tough messes or clean high- traffic areas? With the press of a switch, the Hoover EmPower upright quickly converts to a Power Boost feature, providing an extra surge of power for more vigorous cleaning. The Power Boost feature, which can be used in either Hush mode or the standard cleaning mode, is perfect for cleaning up after an energetic soccer team or adventurous puppy.

- The Hoover EmPower cleaner is a no-hassle product that's ready to use as soon as you walk in the door. It comes fully assembled out of the box with a fold-down handle that makes it easy to store in a clothes closet or under a table, where traditional upright cleaners can't easily be kept. Lightweight, the cleaner is easy to move from room to room, up and down stairs and in and out of storage.

- The Hoover EmPower Upright has allergen filtration that traps pollens and allergens, including dust mites and ragweed pollen. Its Teflon- coated HEPA filter lasts three years under normal use.

- The two top-of-the-line Hoover EmPower bagless uprights can be adjusted for bare floor cleaning and four different carpet height levels, providing a combination of settings that allows users to customize their cleaning. The variety of settings is distinctive for the price point of this cleaner.

- The upright's sparkling colors and attractive, contemporary design are something a little different in a vacuum cleaner.
"With a silver metallic finish and translucent, gemlike colors in Pageant Blue, Coral Orange and Calypso Green, the Hoover Empower upright has appeal for style-conscious consumers," said Bravard. "At $149, it offers an enticing package for people ready to step up to a more sophisticated cleaning machine with innovative product features -- those consumers who are ready to 'empower' themselves!" As part of the Hoover EmPower America Study, both men and women were asked about making one rule for life and given some choices. Twice as many women as men selected "never doing household chores" (50% versus 24% for men), while the top choice for men was "driving at desired speed." After driving at their own speed (27% of men versus 13% for women), men were almost equally split for their second choice between "never doing household chores" (24%) and "never shaving" (23%).

These differences aside, however, the sexes agreed that time is the one thing most out of control in their lives (43% of men and 38% of women).

Gaining control seems likely goal for most people
While people cited many aspects of their lives as out of control, nearly three-quarters of study respondents claimed that it is likely that they can gain some control. While that may be wishful thinking for some, the Hoover EmPower cleaner's time-saving features offer a sure way to clean well at once -- leaving more time for other things. After all, isn't that what we all want?

Hoover, the leader in the floor care industry, offers a full line of uprights and canisters, extractors, stick cleaners, hand-held cleaners, hard- floor cleaners, central vacuum systems, commercial products, air purifiers and an outdoor sweeper. The Company is based in North Canton, Ohio, where it was established in 1908.

RoperASW is the 77-year-old leader in public opinion and media research. It is a leading provider of world-class market intelligence. The global marketing research and strategic consulting firm has offices across the U.S. and in Europe. It is part of NOP World, a subsidiary of United Business Media. Its weekly OmniTel survey obtains to-the-minute measures among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults.

For more information on Hoover and its products, visit www.hoover.com.

Source: Hoover