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Thanks, Brenda, excellent ideas. Especially in view of the fact that WE COLLECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE ABOUT 50 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO THE AIA, Local + State + National. 80,000 members x $617 each. One would think that out of a pie that large (good Lord, that's a 1/2 a BILLION every decade!!!!!) that the AIA could fund some more effective programs to showcase the positive aspect of what we, as residential architects do. ------------------------------------------- Rand Soellner AIA Architect/Owner/Principal Rand Soellner Architect Cashiers NC -------------------------------------------
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-27-2012 12:29
From: Brenda Nelson
Subject: TELEVISION ADS FOR AIA RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS
I agree with all your ideas. I've often wondered why state/local AIA components don't have booths at large home shows too. Perhaps some of you are seeing this in your markets, but I have not. Homeowners attend those shows specifically because they are interested in improving their homes. I like the idea of PBS, but I am afraid that only putting a show on that station will once again show us as a bit stuffy. I like PBS, I'm not putting them down, but the average person probably watches some of the more flashy tv stations. As mentioned before, the Realtor's Association has a marketing campaign on all stations.
Also, while I appreciate the "Cool Spaces" show idea, the title alone suggests that we are once again only showing the avant garde of design and only the final products, perhaps reinforcing the idea that any type of architecture is unattainable by the average person. We NEED as show that tells people what we do - ALL of what we do. Even my own family thinks I just draw "pretty pictures". Unfortunately, "Cool Spaces" immediately brought up the image of a typical "Dwell" cover (I also like Dwell, not trying to put it down, but let's be honest, the average home owner doesn't want to live in most of those homes, they are interesting, but usually built for more daring homeowners.) I think "Cool Spaces" could be beneficial as one slice of an entire marketing pie. We just need to do more than show cool, finished spaces, we need to show/illustrate our entire process.
I also think that it might be beneficial to create a documentary that tells the story of what architects do...the whole story. It could be shown at high school /college job fairs, the aforementioned home shows, architecture exhibits, and of course on tv. There are a bunch of house museums all around the country, many that are museums because of who the architect was, so maybe this film could be shown at those places too.
There is (or recently was) a show on AMC called "The Pitch" which followed a couple of competeing firms through an advertising pitch and award. I find their process to be similar to architects in many ways and could see a type of show for architects along similar lines. Overall I felt that the AMC show did something that was different than other reality shows, it dialed DOWN the fake drama! Maybe we contact "The Pitch" execs and work with them on a spin off for architects?
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Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Cedar Rapids IA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-27-2012 11:30
From: Michael Gustavson
Subject: TELEVISION ADS FOR AIA RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS
There has been some brainstorming about TV ads for residential architects in this group lately. I think ads are a great idea. However, just as we recommend that one hires a professional architect to design homes, maybe we should consider hiring a professional marketing firm to design our advertising scheme. I get the feeling that TV is great, but that there are other things out there like viral YouTube videos linked to Facebook (among other things) that may be even more productive cost/benefit wise. I don't really know how the numbers would work, but I get the feeling that there are some marketing experts out there that do know.
I think people are getting more and more sophisticated and they react to things that clearly make sense to them. The phenomenon of info-graphics are a testament to this. If we can make things clear to future clients why architects are worth hiring, they will look at that clearly laid out information and make good decisions. Here is an example of a type of video-info-graphic advertisement I think could be very effective for us. I'm not talking about the content of this video (though the content is interesting too) I'm talking about the way it transfers information clearly to the viewer. It is also significant to note that on YouTube, something like this can be 2, 5, 10, 15 minutes long if it needs to be. Maybe it starts basic and gets more detailed as it goes along. Maybe a TV ad points people in the direction of a web site that has more detailed information that laymen can understand. Anyway check out how well this is done and how persuasive/educational it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqUGoVez8xg
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Michael Gustavson
Intern
Madison WI
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-27-2012 07:52
From: Rand Soellner
Subject: TELEVISION ADS FOR AIA RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS
Thanks for your thoughts and fine work, Michael Malinowski. But that isn't enough. The CRAN specifically needs a voice just for Home Architecture. Comments about urban architecture and architecture are great, but we here in the HKC and CRAN are the red-haired stepchildren of the AIA. We need our own, dedicated voice specifically focused on just residential architects. A 10 second mention at the end of a generic architectural show ain't gonna get it. Use our money for what we specifically need: TV ads and reality shows about home design, involving residential architects as its focus. Commercial architects get the benefits of decades worth of generic architectural promotion from the AIA. It is high time that residential architects received some dedicated help in raising the public's awareness that we exist, that we can help them and that their lives will be improved by engaging us. Anything you can do in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Rand Soellner Architect
Cashiers NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2012 21:27
From: Michael Malinowski
Subject: TELEVISION ADS FOR AIA RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS
All: you will shortly hear more about some exciting currently unfolding initiatives in which AIA National is helping to raise public awareness about architecture and architects.
The AIA is a sponsor of an NPR weekly series on urban life that started July 24th. In addition, in the Fall, a program called Cool Spaces (hosted by Stephen Chung AIA) will air on PBS.
These programs will include a sponsor message from AIA along these lines: "Support for this program comes from members of the American Institute of Architects; working to build better homes, businesses, and communities. 'Building for life.' More at A-I-A dot o-r-g." This is movement in the direction encouraged by this discussion thread that will be directly connected to the Repositioning effort.
More details will be forthcoming from Robert Ivy FAIA
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Michael Malinowski AIA
AIA Director - California Region
Applied Architecture, Inc.
Sacramento CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-24-2012 10:10
From: Rand Soellner
Subject: TELEVISION ADS FOR AIA RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS
This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Housing Knowledge Community and Custom Residential Architects Network .
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The BIG marketing push for residential architects should be television ads for AIA Residential Architects for the next 10 years. We used to do this (for all architects) on PBS. It seems that TV ads are expensive. Well, we all pay a lot for our yearly AIA dues. If there is not enough money to have TV ads, then the AIA is using those funds for other things. What other things?
Well, I will bet that if the AIA polled its membership right now and said:
"Would you rather have PBS TV commercials running daily, for 10 years, explaining the benefits of hiring a residential architect to design your home, or would you rather have a monthly Architect magazine delivered to you, and would you rather have AIA awards programs, consisting of architects giving other architects awards? Which of these programs do you think would most likely help you to obtain more work designing houses?"
That's a rhetorical question! Of course the public doesn't see our Architect monthly magazine (or very few of them: when was the last time you saw an issue of that at your dentist or family practitioner's office waiting room?). And does the housing buying public know who won the last Pritzker prize? (which is actually sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation). Of course not!
The house-buying public consists of people engaged in their daily busy lives and they aren't reading architectural magazines (at least not those publications intended mainly for architects by architects) and they could give a hang about who won what award, whether sponsored by the AIA or others. What they want is a good-looking home of which they can be proud, that FUNCTIONS and costs them a reasonable amount, lasts a very long time with next to no maintenance, won't make them sick or rot around their ears, keeps the rain out and lowers their power bills. WE CAN COMMUNICATE THIS to the public better than we are now.
My wife pointed out to me that the Board of Realtors national organization has done an excellent job of promoting home buying to the public. Watch TV tonight; you'll see their ads. Why do they do this? Because home design, construction and buying have experienced the biggest slam since the Great Depression. The national Board of Realtors is fighting back. They are trying to explain the benefits of owning your home to the public. God bless them. And where are we architects in this national mess? Well let's see: we send ourselves a monthly magazine. We give ourselves awards. Gee. That ain't gonna do it.
People watch TV. It is a national pastime. Criticize it however you wish; it is the reality. To ignore this medium is at our own peril. We should once again strike forth in a bold new initiative of TV PBS commercials that explain the benefits of having a residential architect designing your home clearly to the home-buying public. Contractors are wiping the floors with us. People see that builders have some "plans" in their back room and say: "Hey, I can get those for free from this guy that's going to build my home. Why should I pay an architect. This'll do." That's what is happening, right now. I'll bet that last sentence raised the hackles of 90% of the architects in the CRAN. It should. Of course WE know the benefits of how a home that we design for our clients is better than some builder's tired old "plans."
Let us count the ways:
1. LIFESTYLE: a residential architect will create a home around YOUR lifestyle; how you want to live. That special hobby room. The home office. Home gym. Larger master bedroom that will actually allow the giant bed you inherited from grandma to fit inside the room. The wonderful kitchen with the appliances and spaciousness of which you have always dreamed.
2. HEALTH: residential architects keep tabs on developments within the construction and design industry about such things and reduced formaldehyde emissions in a variety of materials, and specify the healthier ones, so that your children or spouse, who suffer from respiratory illness will live a healthier, longer life. Architects carefully diagnose the causes of mold and other health-threatening substances and detail YOUR home to resist these.
3. ENERGY: residential architects know how to save you money, every month, as you write your check to your power company. Architects know how to better insulate your home and to make it work with the environment instead of against it. Your monthly energy bills will be lower.
4. COST: home architects Save you money, by designing your home more efficiently. In terms of space usage, energy efficiency, lower maintenance over the decades, and a better understanding of building systems and what works best for YOUR particular situation, site and location.
5,6,7,8,9,10 and on... (you fellow residential architects add more)
Okay? Of course we all know these benefits. The problem is, the house-buying public does Not. All they see is: A.)Home Builders cheap dusty plans lying on a shelf, or B.) Paying more up-front investment to engage an architect. That's it. That is the reality that is beating on our profession today. This has nothing to do whether we are designing for the 99% or the 1%. Right now, the only thing we have convincing the trickle of clients to contact residential architects is our personal websites and what little information has osmosed into their perception from what is out there in movies, TV actor portrayals of architects (David Vincent: Invaders, etc.), Internet research and personal experiences.
So, it is hereby suggested that if there is not sufficient AIA dues to fund TV commercials promoting what Residential Architects do, that other AIA budget items that do nothing to help obtain new business be cut (at least temporarily in an experimental program of 3 year duration?) to allow the TV commercial angle to return. We all appreciate being able to obtain CEUs from reading the magazine articles; thank you very much. We all appreciate having design honors bestowed on us by our peers; thanks again. But if we cannot remain in business, there will be no AIA membership, because our personal budgets won't permit us to fund the AIA, unless it does concrete things to bring us more business (which is the big purple elephant sitting over there in the corner of your design studio, glaring at you).
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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Rand Soellner Architect
Cashiers NC
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