I AM NOT A BUILDER. I cannot frame a house, lay a sub floor, or get a miter to match up.
I make ads.
You see, I am the creative director of an ad agency that specializes in architectural and building products. So, while I can't use a hammer worth a damn, I do know a thing about the industry. And to immerse myself even further, I packed a change of clothes, a note pad and the number of a guy who could get me Danny Gans tickets, and headed off to Las Vegas for my very first International Builders' Show.
As with any trade show, this one was busy and loud and brutal on the calves. But it was also pretty eye opening.
My first impression: Lots of cool products, but not a lot of cool brands.
What I mean is, I saw very few companies that made me say, "Yeah, these guys stand for something. They have a point of difference."
Instead, what I saw was exhibitor after exhibitor mistaking a brochure or a free tee shirt or a racecar for their brand. And so many more forgetting that their true brand is not carried home from the trade show in a bag, but in the consumer's mind.
Everyone, it seemed, was battling for attention using the same tactic: Features and benefits and features and benefits and features and benefits. (Yawn.)
Yet, from my creative perspective, I didn't see hopeless, endless parity. I saw an amazing number of juicy opportunities.
Take the window segment, for instance. Isn't there an opportunity for one (or several) of the 30 challenger brands in attendance to carve out their own niche? Why (I asked myself) doesn't someone own energy efficiency? And another, reliability? And yet another, ease of installation?
Most are making claims in some (if not all) of these areas. But nobody has taken one of these important attributes and made it who they are, what they stand for, what their customers will equate with their name long after they've left the show.
With meaningful, original and single-minded messaging, that can be accomplished. The opportunities are so ripe for some creative and bold company to make a real push here.
Just as there are opportunities for makers of wiring and all those other products that are tucked behind the wall. It seems as if these companies have convinced themselves that just because the consumer doesn't see their product, they don't care about it.
Is there any feature more important than wiring? Wiring equals fire safety. Wiring equals reliability. Wiring equals security and confidence and knowing that your lights will go on when you hit the switch.
Wiring matters. Big time. And somebody has the chance to tell that story.
Is there a reason nobody is?
While we in the industry all know the brands, the average, ordinary consumer doesn't.
Just imagine if homebuyers were so compelled by "Acme" wiring's communications, they started requesting it by name. Imagine if they started putting demands on the builders to use that brand, instead of having the decision made for them.
A pull strategy for a commodity like wiring?
Why not? If we ad geniuses can get Americans to care about the softness of their toilet paper, certainly we can get them to have an opinion about the safety and reliability of their homes.
And doesn't the same kind of opportunity exist for all the other products that are behind the wall? Plumbing? And insulation? And 2-by-4's?
Well, that was a lot of questions for one hall. And, I must admit, my mind was spent. So, I gathered my thoughts with the help of a free cookie at the Lowe's booth, and then I began leg two of my journey.
The LG booth was impressive. (Although nobody there could give me a compelling reason why I need a television in my fridge.)
The modular model home sucked me in for a tour, and actually raised my eyebrows.
And the Stanley hammering contest? Three nails in 0.98 seconds -- I am not worthy.
Even more impressive, though, are the marketing opportunities for companies who are willing to embrace a "green" strategy. Environmental concerns are huge. Government legislation regarding efficiency and the environment is getting tougher and tougher every year. Consumers are becoming more aware of and connected to the environment.
So which timber company is going to step up and be the green leader? If there was one at the show, they were whispering, not shouting.
Which window manufacturer is going to own energy efficiency? Virtually all claim it, none make it part of their brand DNA.
Is there a plumbing or bathroom fixture manufacturer who can tout water efficiency more convincingly than anyone else? If there is, they weren't very convincing at the show.
And even though my legs were saying, "No more!" my head was just getting started.
Why, does it seem, that every cabinetmaker gravitates towards a brand strategy of beauty, while nobody wants to own ergonomics or innovation or (the most important feature to me) storage space?
Why didn't I see even one wood manufacturer fighting like a mad dog in a meat house to combat the composite guys?
And perhaps the most nagging question that kept popping into my head: How in the hell do you get to the South Hall?
Just think if more companies started to truly elevate their brands. Think of the ripple effect. Not only would the brands themselves increase in value in the consumers' minds, so would the homes that are built with these products. And builders who create alliances with these "preferred" brands would increase their value, too.
At the end of the week, I can honestly look back and say I saw a ton of innovative products. What I didn't see is a lot of innovative marketing to go with it. Everyone's playing by the same rules. Everyone's hoping their feature-and-benefit patter will woo the customers in.
Come on. A sell sheet is not a brand. A price list is not a brand. A free cookie -- as tasty as it is -- is not a brand.
Danny Gans? Now there's a brand.