Masonry Magazine December 1996 Page. 8
Masonry
Promotion
By Michael Adelizzi, Executive Director
Mason Contractors Association of America
Promotion is the action of making others see us the way we see ourselves, or at least the way that we want them to see us. Masonry promotion is making our industry's customers see our industry the way we want them to see us. Unfortunately, how exactly do our customers see us? What is the image that we are projecting? More importantly, what is it that we want them to see? It's no surprise to anyone in the masonry industry that we are a very segmented and splintered industry with many differing messages that we have been bombarding our customers with. What masonry customers see are varied messages from every facet of the industry. Block, brick, glass, and stone manufacturing segments all promoting their interests. Each segment with their own design criteria and installation variances all affecting the way that our customers see us, formulating their long term image of doing business with the masonry industry.
In order to better understand masonry's promotion effectiveness, it's important to understand our industry's customers, the majority of which are architects. According to a study conducted by the Expanded Shale Clay and Slate Institute (ESCSI) of Salt Lake City, architects are very sensitive to failures in the building design or products specified. And although masonry firms associated with the construction aspect of a project may be long removed, architects are permanently linked with a project, even after the ownership of a building changes hands. Architects not only are concerned about litigation, but their own customer satisfaction is of utmost concern to them as well.
Easily visible flaws are a big concern. Physical flaws noticed by the occupant are of utmost importance. Whether the problem falls into the category of aesthetics, safety or nuance is immaterial. Whether the problem is a product, design or installation flaw is immaterial. If it threatens a customer's satisfaction in anyway it is a problem that the architect must solve. And if architects face problems with failure, they will likely seek solutions or resolutions usually by specifying products other than masonry. Architects also have budget constraints and loss of control due to their owners specifying products and cost cutting initiatives. Often the customer does not know or appreciate design intricacies, limitations or complexities or the resulting cost implications.
The ESCSI study also determined what architects want. Foremost they want a guarantee that the product or system will perform as expected. In addition, they seek weatherability, durability, fixability, accountability, good workmanship, streamlined process for problem solving, installation and design tips and creative flexibility.
Lastly the study points out how architects view the masonry industry. In general, they view the industry as being extremely diverse and different to do business with. Specifically, architects said that the masonry industry had too many variables and that the quality of work depends on interconnecting components and intermixing trades. Of even greater concern was the conflict of information coming from the varied industry factions regarding design, installation and correction matters. Often, product literature conflicts with those in the field. The quality of the ultimate end product depends on the skill of the individual mason and not enough skilled, quality oriented masons. Frustrating architects further is the lack of reputable knowledgeable third party experts who know history, and performance of multiple components and how they work together in specific application. Further feeding this are the manufacturers who promote benefits of