Home & Building Blog
EFFECTIVE MARKETING FOR BUILDER PRODUCTS
As specialists in marketing for construction and construction business marketing, we at K&A have been dedicated to helping our clients in the residential and commercial building product industry grow their brands for over 35 years. We are passionate about what we do and are always motivated to start each day with a strong cup of coffee and the goal of making a positive impact for our clients. With a focus on building products and a deep understanding of the construction industry, we have become experts in the field and are proud to offer our specialized services to our clients.
What’s at the center of your customers’ lives? Spoiler alert: it’s not you or your products
Here’s a newsflash: building products are not at the center of consumers’ lives. People don’t think about appliances, windows, and flooring all the time. Even when they’re actively shopping for these items, audiences don’t think their quality of life will be...
Measuring Customer Intent in Your Building Products
Too many marketers, when measuring the effectiveness of their emails, look only at open rates and click rates. While those metrics are important, it’s really only half the story.
PCBC 2018 Show Review – Smarter and more Thoughtful Design
Because the International Builders’ Show (IBS) took place in Florida this year (it moves back west to Vegas next year), it was that much more important that the K&A team journey cross-country to California to participate at the Pacific Coast Builders’ Show (PCBC). After all, many of the innovations we experience in the building industry have their genesis on the West Coast — and then are adopted by the rest of the country. PCBC gives us a more complete picture of what’s up and coming in building products – coast to coast. And, from what we saw, there’s a lot to talk about.
To Avoid Commoditization, Look to the Lobsters and Turkeys
In the building products industry, as in just about all industries, “commoditization” is a nasty word and a fate to be avoided at all costs. When it happens, that means you’re competing solely on price... and customers, whether they’re consumers and/or the trades, see...
Who buys the most home improvement materials? The answer may surprise you.
Internet Loving Millennials Tops For Use of Print Information While Millennials live online, they are more likely to turn to print (home improvement books and home improvement magazines) than any other generation.
Educating Consumers Through Showroom Experiences
Not long ago, we wrote about iconic fashion brand Gucci and their Gucci Garden Galleria. Since then, it seems like the whole building products industry has gone showroom mad! To recap, we came down largely in favor of Gucci’s approach. They’re a brand with the...
Want to reach your trade audiences? Try telling them a story
Storytelling is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Marketers are realizing the power of telling a story to humanize their brands, connect with consumers, and stand out from the competition. That’s fine for consumers, but when you need to communicate to a...
Sears Makes Us Look Foolish
Wouldn’t you know it, the week after we post an article applauding Sears for being good stewards of the Kenmore brand, it’s revealed that they’re trying to sell it off. Oops. Things move fast these days. Sometimes even too fast for an emailed article to keep up. In...
Sears makes the right move by doubling down on Kenmore
The downfall of Sears has been well-documented, on our blog and in countless other places. Despite the company’s competitive and management issues, it does have a couple brand assets that have stayed strong in the face of the retailer’s decline. One of those was the...
JennAir Elevates the Luxury Narrative from Looks to Personalization
JennAir is redefining what aspirational kitchen appliances and design looks like. More importantly, they’re redefining how, and for whom, appliances work... elevating the narrative from being about colors and materials to functional elegance and personalization. For...
Avoiding Social Media Fails for Building Products
When it comes to social media and popular culture, building products brands don’t live in such a high-stakes world like consumer brands. But in a way, that makes it even more dangerous, because your guard is down. A building materials company may not command the...
Paint Wars Grow in Building Materials Marketing
Just call Sherwin-Williams the paint advertising police. A while back, we commented on Sherwin-Williams taking Rustoleum to court for their claim that one of their paints offered “twice the coverage.” Our point of view was that while Sherwin-Williams was right,...
