Masonry Magazine May 1974 Page. 25
Good Local
Brick Promotion
By KENNETH S. DASH
Director of Marketing Promotion
Brick Institute of America
Brick promotion takes many forms. Through this column readers should be familiar with the broad promotion program of the Brick Institute of America, including national advertising, publications and a continuous public relations program. However, it's local promotion that's the subject this month.
Contrary to what many persons believe, it doesn't cost a lot of money to launch a successful brick promotion program. It's easy to spend thousands of dollars on poorly designed and badly executed promotion programs. But as for spending a limited amount of money on a thoughtful and effective program, I'll offer these few suggestions.
First and foremost is BIA's Brick and Tile Magazine. This full-color eight-page bi-monthly may have sold more brick through its use of outstanding brick buildings and supurb photography than any other single item in our library of almost 500 publications. Architects, developers and many others in the building and design field look for Brick and Tile and consider it to be among the very finest product showpieces they receive from any industry. Yet Brick and Tile costs only $40 per hundred copies or only $240 for the year. Brick's story couldn't be told half so well for twice the price using any other publication.
Radio advertising is a good, and surprisingly inexpensive, way of reaching many people at the same time with a timely message. BIA is preparing five consumer radio spots which will be both 30 and 60 seconds in length. With the exception of major markets, good radio time (early morning and late afternoon through mid-evening) can be purchased for about $20 a minute, and some rural areas are much less than that. I'll keep you informed as to the cost and availability of the BIA consumer spots and, together with Brick and Tile, they will help make the foundation for a worthwhile promotion program.
A third idea is to sponsor local award programs for architects, bricklayers and builders. The public relations value of these efforts are enormous compared to the dollar expense involved. Award programs get people excited and tend to bring them together. For instance, an architectural award for use of brick design might include a jury of the local AIA chapter, the building editor of the local newspaper, a local building code official, an architectural student or professor even the mayor or a representative of the Governor can easily be pulled into the fold.
And, most important, the cost of conceiving, conducting and executing an effective awards program may be as little as a couple of luncheons for the jury or a plaque and possibly a small scholarship in the name of the winning architect for the architectural school of his choice.
The point is that a good or a bad local brick promotion program is less a function of money than of forethought. The do's and don'ts of promoting brick locally are simply these:
DON'T get into the printing business.
DON'T attempt to become a creative artist.
DO use professional promotion materials which are available.
DO approach architects through Brick and Tile and Masonry magazines.
DO use BIA radio tapes when they are developed.
DO contact and copy the work of professionals who are in the promotion business for their livelihood.
Finally, DO contact BIA for more ideas and specific suggestions on promoting brick in local markets.
New Hertz Rental Yard
Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. has opened a new equipment rental facility at 666 North W.W. White Rd. in San Antonio, Texas. The two-acre site will provide contractors with construction and industrial equipment.
Included are loaders-backhoes, cranes, masonry equipment, and a wide variety of general equipment for use through rental by the day, week or month.
Tampa Plant for Grace
The Construction Products Division of W.R. Grace & Co., Cambridge, Mass., has opened a new vermiculite processing plant in Tampa, Fla. The 16,900 square foot facility replaces an existing plant at the same location. Grace markets vermiculite nationally under the "Zonolite" brand name.
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