Masonry Magazine December 1996 Page. 22
Masonry Promotion
Continued from page 9
In geographical markets, IMI has been successful in promoting masonry. According to IMI president Joan Calambokidis, the International Masonry Institute reaches in all directions to promote quality union masonry craftsmanship-architects and engineers, building owners and developers, contractors and the general public.
IMI provides the critical link to building designers. It's highly regarded technical seminars, now registered for AIA credit, reach 7,000 designers annually. On a daily basis, a national marketing and promotional team provides the technical expertise, which along with union craftsmanship, ensures that masonry is used properly and extensively. A new owner/developer initiative is also turning jobs around to all branches of masonry. A related service is IMI's popular mobile training units, responding quickly and efficiently to specific market demands.
And to make sure that the next generation of building decisionmakers "think masonry," each year, IMI sponsors an innovative Masonry Camp, where young architects and students spend an intensive week with union apprentices, appreciating the full range of masonry materials and skills of union craftworkers.
Why Local Masonry Promotion is Leading the Way!
The decline over the years of the existence of local masonry promotion groups and promotional professionals has most directly impacted masonry's loss of market share. Given the fact that architects seek competent technical support and third party expertise in design and installation tips, the gravitation to a more national approach to promotion does not boad well for masonry. At a time when greater emphasis should be given to keep local promotion dollars local, groups such as the International Masonry Institute, the key to the success of a future expansion of masonry markets. Local promotion directors and campaigns are funded by the entire industry. Subsequently, the campaigns that local promotion groups initiate are masonry wide and not product specific. Their campaign presents the architect with a unified presentation giving the architect the confidence to design with masonry. Their jobs are to sell masonry, giving the customer what they want regardless if it is block, brick, glass or stone.
The local market directors with regional directors responsible for multi-state regions, further removing direct promotion from the customer.
However, there are bright spots with regards to local promotion success where progressive local promotion groups are doing excellent work. In fact, masonry's future lies in the hands of these local promotion groups and directors. They are the experts the architects turn to for guidance in designing masonry projects and often architects design with masonry because of the confidence in these local promotion directors. These local promotion efforts are key to the success of a future expansion of masonry markets.
In addition, local promotion directors have the direct, face to face contact with the masonry customer where relationships are developed and long term opportunities are forged. They have the direct personal contact where national promotion, although important, is impersonal and detached.
There are some very exciting promotional programs occurring around the county where local directors are going after various market segments in unique ways.
Masonry Advisory Council of Illinois effort to get municipalities to require masonry has paid off in over 60 communities.
In St. Louis, Missouri, a highly successful program was initiated nearly two years ago to expand masonry's share in the residential market. A home buyers seminar was offered to the general public educating home buyers on how to intelligently buy a home. Covered in the seminar are: what questions home buyers should ask, what a builder can deliver, how to finance your home, what quality construction looks like and how to cut through all the builder "mumbo jumbo". Oh of course, also covered is how a home buyer can get a masonry home without busting their budget. To date, over twenty five programs have been conducted and over two thousand, five hundred home buyers have attended. "As consumers, we can get books and information on buying everything from CD players and refrigerators to boats and automobiles. But as consumers, the largest purchase most of us will ever make, our home, we go to a builder virtually ignorant regarding quality and how to make an informed educated decision," said Masonry Institute of St. Louis Executive Director Ed Glock. "Our home buyer's seminar has been extremely successful because home buyers are starved for information," Glock said.
Just a few hours north of St. Louis, Illinois Indiana Masonry Alliance
22 MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1996