Masonry Magazine September 1978 Page. 13
PART II-CONCLUSION
MARKETING AND MASONRY
By Herbert Zeltner
In selling masonry, we're dealing with a fascinating mixture of both rational and emotional decisions. After all, architecture and construction are an unusual and volatile blend of science and art. The decision to use a structural technique involves both a collection of rigorous engineering disciplines and, ultimately, a medley of aesthetic judgments.
To those who must create the communication between the sellers of masonry and its purchasers, there must be a realization that these two components-engineering on the one hand and art on the other are not necessarily antagonistic or a matter of direct trade-offs. In fact, the communicator must sell the strengths of both elements, but should vary the emphasis given based on a solid knowledge of what's particularly important to each of the various publics with which he is talking. In designing all of masonry's marketing communications, whether a simple one-on-one conversation, a business letter, a brochure, an advertisement or a major presentation, there must be a search for what would normally be termed "copy points" opportunities for one appeal supporting and reinforcing the other.
For instance, in addressing the ultimate purchaser or tenant, it might make sense to "headline" the striking, beauty and uniqueness available in a masonry application, and support that basic appeal by referring to the durability and the low-cost maintenance inherent in a masonry choice. Conversely, when writing advertising or sales literature addressed to the architect or engineer, there might well be strong solid proof of conformance to rigorous codes within a budget, supported with a reminder of the outstanding good looks available, uniquely, in masonry.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Herbert Zeltner, a marketing consultant, was the keynote speaker at the 1978 annual promotion meeting of the International Masonry Institute held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in May. The theme of that meeting was "The Marketing of Masonry." Mr. Zeltner is the head of his own marketing consulting firm in New York City, specializing in market planning and business development for major consumer goods manufacturers, communications media and departments of the federal government. He has for more than 20 years occupied senior executive and marketing services positions with advertising agencies and national corporations. Mr. Zeltner is an advertising trade press columnist and writer, and a speaker at many marketing and professional seminars.
Communication Between Seller and Buyer
We now turn to the third of our principal components of the marketing equation, communications. In some conversations I've had with your associates and experts in the field these past few weeks, and in studying some of the background information made available to me, I begin to sense a "going in" problem in talking about the communications bridge between the sellers and the buyers of masonry as a construction alternative. The central problem seems to be one of attitudes and awareness, a matter of "low salience." This is a fancy marketing research term for masonry not being of primary concern to the buyer. The decision to use masonry is simply not a big issue to many who have a role to play in influencing the purchase decision one way or the other.
There seem to be several reasons for this lack of central concern. One that's advanced is that masonry has been around "forever." It's ubiquitous and not dramatic or exciting in and of itself.
Compounding the problem are some apparent misconceptions about the advantages of masonry as a structural alternative. Part of this mistaken awareness seems to be due to misconceptions about the material itself and part may be due to skepticism about the process.
The misconception most likely stems from considerations of style, modernity and versatility. While most topflight professionals today apparently accept the elegance, excitement and "contemporariness" of masonry, this vogue may well be a far-from-permanent strength. You have to guard against the highly volatile nature of fashions and of fads. The fact that glass boxes, shiny metal towers and cheap, low-cost shortcuts may be going out of style for the time being could change direction sometime in the next several years as new people and new alternatives enter the market.
We also have the matter of ingrained disbelief causing attitude problems for masonry. To the layman or superficial professional your product and your craft look old-fashioned. There's little doubt masonry appears to be labor-intensive, hand-crafted, unchanged since Biblical times. This certainly isn't bad during a time when we all yearn for individuality, customizing, pride in workmanship and the satisfaction of things that don't come out of a computer or cookie-cutter or break down as soon as we start to use them.