Report of the MCAA Marketing Committee
Words: Damian Lang, Tim O'Toole, Colin FaulAppointed at the 2004 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, the Marketing Committee has a new chairman, Damian Lang of Lang Masonry. Also new to the Marketing Department, as of July, Colin Faul has taken over the role of Director of Marketing, previously the Manager of Professional Development. The committee already has some great initiatives in progress and is looking forward to building up the Marketing Committee and the promotional efforts of MCAA.
Current Marketing Programs
Excellence in Masonry
We had yet another successful Excellence in Masonry program at the 2004 convention. The program classifications were modified to include 8 classifications (Residential, Rehab/Restoration, Governmental/Institutional, Industrial/Commercial, Pavers/Retaining Walls/Landscaping, Education K-8, Education 9-12, Education College/University). All categories were submitted for except for Pavers/Retaining Walls/Landscaping. Judging for the contest was conducted with local architects from AIA. For 2005 we are looking at opening the judging to also include MCAA Member Mason Contractors, bringing in a contractors view of the work put into the project, as well as the architectural view.
We had a smaller turnout for projects at the 2004 program. Marketing materials for the program will go out earlier and a number of new applicants have already contacted MCAA for materials. The Washington group had a large amount of projects submitted in 2004 so we will be working closely with other chapter groups to submit projects at the 2005 awards program and help promote the accomplishments of their members, getting the recognition they deserve.
Construct America™
Programming for the 2005 Masonry Showcase at Construct America™ is well underway. Over 120,000 brochures will be sent out to contractors starting late September early October. Brochure will be highly concentrated in the surrounding states of Chicago, reaching over 5,000 local mason contractor companies. A new database of 6,000 contractors has also been purchased to add to our current marketing reach and potential member list.
MCAA, TFM & MCAA will be hosting a Joint Welcome Reception, at Chicago's Field Museum, bringing all Construct America™ attendees together for one large networking event. Also new to the show, attendees from any of the 3 shows will be able to attend educational sessions hosted by any of the three groups. This will expand the educational impact of attending the show and hopefully be a larger draw to attend.
MCAA Website
In June of 2003, the MCAA website (www.masoncontractors.org) was averaging approximately 100,000 hits per year and was made up of 170 files. The site currently receives nearly 5.4 million hits per year and is made up of 6,235 files, a 5,400.00% increase in visitors and a 3,667.65% increase in content in just fifteen months. People from all around the globe are now being exposed to the MCAA and masonry. Residents of the United States and Canada regularly visit the site, and those as far away as France, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey, Australia, and India frequently visit as well.
The recent addition of membership profiles and the "Find a Contractor" feature to the website has been met with great excitement and success. This new feature will allow visitors to search for members and their companies for potential projects. The "Find a Contractor" feature is also planned to be part of the MasonrySystems.org website.
With daily updates, the site has quickly become one of the top industry resources for masonry news and information.
New Marketing Programs
Exec's Council
Started 2 years ago, the Exec's Council now has 18 groups participating of which 17 local association executive directors attended this year's meeting. Exec's who attended were excited about the new cooperation between national and local chapters to work together and promote the industry while also collaborating on current issues and trends. Over the 2 day meeting the group further developed the masonrysystems.org website and national advertising campaign targeting architects, specifiers, school officials and municipal leaders. The council was then broken off into two groups, a website design team and advertisement campaign team.
Masonrysystems.org
As a result of the exec's meeting the website is currently being revamped to add additional content and a more impacting message and feel to further draw in visitors of the site. Tim O'Toole is currently rebuilding the MasonrySystems.org with the direction of the Exec's Council who are art directing and collaborating on adding content to educate visitors on: What are Masonry Systems, Architectural Masonry Details, Cost Guide, Masonry vs. Other Systems, Find a Contractor and additional industry resources. Target completion date of September and a launch date of October 1st.
National Advertising Campaign for MasonrySystems.org
The campaign has been divided up into phases:
Phase one beginning October 1st
Architecture Magazine (6 issues)
Construction Specifier (6 issues)
School Planning & Management (3 issues)
Planning Magazine (3 issues)
(Total reach of over 500,000 subscribers)
Additional Phases will be implemented in two additional phases in five additional magazines as funds become available. Advertisements will be varied throughout the campaign using 3-5 different ads which have all received great response.
Masonry: It Makes a Village
New for the 2005 show, the national Masonry: It Makes a Village is well on its way to be the one of the new highlight events at the Showcase. Regional contestants from local chapters will participate for a total of 6-8 teams. This will be a highlight event for MCAA and CSI attendees, promoting masonry and its various uses to Architects and Specifiers. Currently monetary sponsorships and product donations are being solicited. Contest winners will be judged by selected industry experts and also judged by the voting public.