Alan Gayle is a sales and marketing consultant specialising in the construction industry and working in the stone sector for more than a decade. In this column he offers advice and observations from the world of construction marketing.
This month I am making a bit of a diversion from my usual format. I want to make some observations and comments about what we can learn from consumer marketing.
First let me explain the jargon.
Consumer marketing, known as ‘business to consumer’ marketing (B2C for short) is marketing aimed at private individuals – the consumer.
The biggest players in consumer marketing are international companies such as McDonald’s, Barclays and Unilever, whose brands include Persil, Walls, PG Tips and a whole host of others you would recognise.
‘Business to business’ marketing, on the other hand, (often shortened to B2B) is, as the name suggests, aimed at other businesses rather than the end user. A subcontractor, natural stone quarry or marketing agency like mine are all examples of B2B because 95% of our customers are other businesses.
OK. Now that’s understood, let me ask you: Have you booked your summer holiday yet?
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, at this time of year the travel industry goes into advertising overdrive.
Next question: Do you know what ‘ATOL protected’ means?
It seems whether it’s Thomas Cook, Thomson or anyone else, they end their adverts with ‘ATOL protected’. And we all know what ‘ATOL protected’ means. We all want it and we’re even willing to pay extra for it. Why? Because although we hope we’ll never need it, we feel safer knowing we’re ‘ATOL protected’.
How did we become convinced it is a ‘must-have’ of our package holiday?
Well, Thomas Cook, Thomson et al, certainly play their part. But just saying ‘ATOL protected’ at the end of ads doesn’t have any value unless we already know what ‘ATOL protected’ means.
Which brings me to the lesson we can learn from this aspect of consumer marketing. ATOL is an industry governing body building value for its industry (in this case travel agents) by communicating directly to the industry’s customers. That’s you and me.
And ATOL is not alone. Another example is the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This has a consumer awareness campaign telling us that if a bank fails we can claim back up to £85,000 of deposits from FSCS.
Benedict Cumberbatch, who voices the radio ads for FSCS, ends them by saying: “You’ll probably never need us, but it’s good to know that we’re here.”
The FSCS is funded by and serves the banking industry, but those adverts are aimed at the banks’ customers, not the banks themselves.
I believe the idea of marketing directly to your customers’ customers is something that should be adopted right here in the building industry.
I’ve done some work relating to BRE’s BES 6001 standard recently, and while that standard itself is no doubt first class, the fact that the vast majority of the customers (main contractors, architects and clients) of BRE’s customers (building product manufactures) have never heard of it is, in my opinion, a terrible shortcoming on BRE’s part.
Dozens of manufacturers have paid BRE to achieve this standard and now they have to educate the building industry about the value it adds because, unlike ATOL, BRE hasn’t done so.
The same can be said of the Stone Federation and CE Marking. I know Stone Federation has run several workshops on CE Marking, but in my experience it’s pitiful how few of the stone industry’s customers (contractors, architects and clients) have any awareness of CE Marking or how it should benefit them.
When CE Marking and BES 6001 are as recognisable and desirable to architects and contractors as an Agrément Certificate, these standards will be adopted and promulgated throughout the industry. Until then, I think there is some (marketing) work to do.