Construction media leader, Architectural Record will be inaugurating The Architectural Record Awards this fall. The new industry awards will supplement an autumn print edition by recognizing the year’s best built and unbuilt projects – and leading design voices – at their annual Innovation Conference on October 30th.
When marketers consider public relations and thought leadership campaigns for installed building products, award programs should be an integral part of communication programs. After all, awards have a unique way of cutting through the noise in a crowded channel… offering credible third-party recognition.
The opportunities are important in more ways than are typically considered.
Admittedly, not always a simple submission process to impress the judging, it’s critical that building product manufacturers identify and pursue the right industry award opportunities. The most coveted awards can strengthen a brand’s reputation. Increase visibility. And elevate narratives.
As well as contributing to growing building material sales.
Why Industry Awards Continue To Matter
Industry Validation
An award from a respected organization informs specifiers, contractors and decision-makers that your builder product meets – better still, exceeds – high standards. Whether it’s innovation, sustainability, or overall design excellence… that kind of recognition builds credibility.
In ways that ads or marketing claims alone simply can’t.
Exposure in the Right Places
Many award programs are endorsed by leading trade media and industry associations. Winners (and finalists too) are promoted through dedicated online sites, email newsletters, social media platforms and trade show coverage… elevating brands to face the audiences that matter most.
Search and SEO Benefits — Especially as AI Evolves
A benefit becoming more important every year is “search” visibility. When your product or brand is featured on trusted industry websites – a winner’s gallery, a digital magazine, or a trade association blog – those mentions help improve SEO and ranking. They build backlinks from high-authority sources… which can improve your ratings and placement in important Google searches.
More importantly, AI-driven search tools, like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT and voice assistants, are increasingly trained to scan content from reputable, expert-led domains. That means the more often your brand shows up in credible industry recognition, the more likely it will appear in AI-generated answers – and summaries – when audiences search for products in your category.
Being listed as a “Top Product Winner” or “Editor’s Pick” on respected platforms helps to influence search engines and AI models with strong signals… that a building product or service is relevant.
And trustworthy.
How Building Product Brands Can Win
It’s important to pursue the awards that align with your brand promise, product story and audience by leveraging three best practice strategies:
1. Identify the Right Competitions
There are dozens of awards in architecture and design, construction, as well as facilities channels. Monitor award cycles and commit to targeting deadlines throughout the year on monthly marketing calendars. Match opportunities to strategic goals – whether launching a new product – spotlighting a sustainability initiative or nominating a leader in your organization.
Focus on programs that are particularly respected, well-aligned with selling “verticals” and those that provide long-term value… not simply to seek one-time wins.
Never overlook emerging opportunities that will be specific for challenger brand missions to dominate a unique niche.
2. Craft Submissions That Resonate
A successful award entry is always clear. Well-documented. And rooted in the program’s values. So, it is critical to gather technical details – use cases – and compelling testimonials. Then shape those materials into submissions highlighting what makes each product or service offering stand out.
Whether demonstrating how a product improves accessibility in healthcare spaces or documenting sustainability improvements in manufacturing… focus on how to present what matters most to the judges.
3. Monitor and Track
Yes, managing awards takes time, and it can become a lower priority for internal teams who are juggling trade shows, product rollouts and sales campaigns. Shift those priorities and consider outsourcing to better keep-an-eye on timelines, entry platforms, formatting, creation of supporting visuals as well as follow-ups. And to best leverage recognition/wins… from press alerts and media outreach to booth signage and social content.
Real-World Results
Industry awards are a smart way to build credibility. Expand reach. And support a brand’s digital footprint.
As AI tools continue to reshape how audiences search for – and evaluate solutions in the construction channel – it’s more important than ever to “show up” in places that contribute to elevating quality and trust. Award wins, especially from respected organizations, help you do exactly that.
An Award that Tells a Story
We, along with our client Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, had bestowed upon us a very prestigious award. It’s the most prestigious industry award a marketer can get in the state of Georgia. To win it, we had to beat Georgia-based marketing heavyweights like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, Arby’s and The Home Depot.
The award was MAX Award (Marketing Award for Excellence), presented by the Department of Marketing at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. It recognizes innovation, marketing support and marketplace success. We won the Grand Prize recognition from among seven finalists for our work on Georgia-Pacific Gypsum’s DensElement Barrier System.
Naturally, we are happy to be associated with such a fine group of people who collaborated so well. For us, the MAX Award tells the story of a great shared journey, and we’re so proud to have been a part of it.
Industry awards for individual achievements are great, and we have several of those, too. In fact, this same campaign won “Best in Class” in Architectural Record’s Excellence in Advertising competition. The winners were selected by a jury of architects… the very influencers that the campaign was designed to, well, influence.
If you are unsure which programs are worth considering – or need a partner to lead a process – we can help. At Kleber and Associates, our team treats awards as part of a larger integrated communications strategy. And we have a storied history of helping brands earn recognition that leads to significant business value. Send an email to Steve at sk@kleberandassociates.com and let’s talk about how being recognized, for example, in The Global Innovations Awards at IBS can help in reaching sales and marketing goals.
