Report of the MCAA Marketing Committee
Words: John Llewellyn, Lynn Nash, Ann Wolter, Dave GillickSince the 2007 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, the MCAA Marketing Committee has been one of the most active and exciting committees within the association. Over the past year we have aggressively sought new funds and methods to promote the use of masonry and our industry.
Marketing Fund
At the 2006 MCAA Midyear Meeting, the MCAA Board unanimously approved the issuing of a 20% dues assessment to initially establish a marketing fund. The primary goal that these funds were to be used for was to market masonry to the design community. This fund has already proven to be very useful in assisting the Marketing Committee's initiatives.
This past year the Marketing Committee has held conference calls to make sure this money is being used in the best interest of marketing masonry for the MCAA members who put their money towards it. Among the options considered were: 1) The MasonrySystems.org website. 2) Masonry Design magazine. 3) The Fire Safe Construction Cost Comparison Study. 4) The University Professor's Workshop. The committee has approved funding via the conference calls for all the above initiatives with the exception of The Fire Safe Construction Cost Comparison Study.
MasonrySystems.org
The Marketing Committee has pledged $125,000 towards the MasonrySystems.org campaign. The new site is scheduled to be launched in April of 2008.
MasonrySystems.org will be used to educate designers and construction users on the benefits of total masonry construction. The site has three main sections: "Inspiration," which will showcase the best in masonry design and construction; "Information," which will offer data, articles, presentations and videos about every aspect of masonry; and "Interaction," which will encourage participation through bulletin boards that offer the opportunity to post messages, questions and announcements. MasonrySystems.org will be a one-stop shop for anything and everything masonry.
As the Chairman of the Marketing Committee, I have asked Ann Wolter of the Masonry Executives Council and the MasonrySystems.org Project Coordinator give a presentation at the Marketing Committee meeting that will be held on Jan. 24 in Vegas. Ann has accepted and will be doing a 15 minute power point presentation at our meeting to help insure the committee is spending its marketing resources in the right place. Dave Gillick and Lynn Nash of the MEC will be attending the meeting as well to help field questions about the site.
Masonry Design Magazine
Beginning in January of 2008, Masonry Design magazine will be sent bi-monthly to a target of 15,000 design professionals with an expected growth rate of 10-20% annually. Circulation will preliminarily be built from bulk subscriptions from local and national association/suppliers/contractors who wish to send the magazine to their customers.
The MCAA will be the principal sponsor of Masonry Design magazine. The Marketing Committee has had discussion and has made the decision to provide $75,000 over the next two years to support the launch of the magazine. Other sponsors will be sought by Lionheart Publishing, the owner of the magazine.
Masonry Design magazine will deliver the message of the masonry industry through unique features of original content, with an emphasis on masonry systems/total masonry construction. Features may vary from more technical in nature appealing to an engineer audience to more inspiring features that appeal to architects. Topics of importance to all target audiences, such as “life cycle cost” and green building features will have unique appeal and interest.
As the chairman of the marketing committee, I have asked John Llewellyn (the owner of Lionheart Publishing who is the publisher of the magazine) and the editor of the magazine to come to the Marketing Committee Meeting that will be held on Jan. 24th in Las Vegas to do a short presentation on how this magazine is coming along and what the magazine will do to help encourage designers, engineers and potential owners the advantages of designing and/or using masonry on their projects. John has accepted the invite and will be at the meeting.
MCAA Website
The Association's website, www.masoncontractors.org, continues to grow on a daily basis. Our site is viewed by thousands of unique visitors each day, and millions across the globe search for news and information regarding the best building system on the market: masonry. The site has grown significantly over the past five years and has become a hub of resources for contractors and suppliers and an important promotional tool for architects, specifiers, officials and other potential customers. We are proud that the website is the best site in the masonry industry.
The Year Ahead
The Association will look at a wide range of programs including conducting research to determine where we have lost market share and why. Programs such as increased support for Masonry Systems.org, designer educational efforts and Masonry vs. Tilt-up marketing tools as well. We believe that continuing a strong, effective contractor driven marketing effort will help our entire industry flourish. The marketing committee will continue focusing on educating the design professionals in our industry and making sure the marketing funds the MCAA has available are used in the best interest of the MCAA members.