As the tenant owner of our 25 plus-year-old office building, we wanted to make it as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. So, a little over three years ago, we registered our office as a LEED^® building site. This made official our intent to go through the process to obtain LEED-EB (Existing Building) certification status.

LEED stands for Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design. It is the proprietary program of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which administers the program and approves the applications after a thorough review of the exhaustive process.

Being a small business, we have proceeded in a methodical fashion to make all of the necessary improvements to our 16,000-square-foot building. This summer, we got to the point where we thought the building was ready for a professional review to see if we could achieve LEED certification.

Here are just some of the projects we’ve completed:

• Sealed all exterior walls, inside and out
• Added R-60 insulation to the attic areas
• Developed an eco-friendly landscaping plan with no phosphorus fertilizers, limited use of herbicides/pesticides, installing indigenous plants that are more drought tolerant, eco-friendly sidewalk salt
• Stepped up our recycling and waste reduction efforts (weekly solid waste is approaching less than one cubic yard)
• Met with outside suppliers to reduce the amount of recyclable or solid waste they “send into our building” (e.g., we supply reusable delivery bags and containers; encourage minimal or no packaging for local deliveries)
• Eliminated all space heaters (one space heater can use $20-30 of electricity per month when used just during business hours. It is much more energy-efficient to adjust the thermostat, which has 12 different controllable zones)
• Installed Delta^® electronic faucets, and water-reducing showerheads
• KitchenAid^® ENERGY STAR^® appliances (dishwasher, refrigerator)
• Motion-activated lighting in conference rooms and non-office space
• In the works: replacing bottled water for guests with reusable carafes of filtered water

We interviewed and engaged a consulting company to guide us through the LEED process, beginning with a required ENERGY STAR^® energy audit. We were pleasantly surprised when we easily achieved ENERGY STAR^® status. And we were even more surprised to learn that when we completed the few small items we had remaining on our punch list, we would qualify for LEED Silver.

Then, we received a bit of bad news: completing the certification process with the consulting firm would cost about $24,000.

We love knowing that our building is functioning at a pretty high standard. We thank LEED for giving us the roadmap to achieve this, and we thank our consultants for taking us through the initial process.

But the decision now focuses on determining the best use of that $24,000. Should we complete the process and proudly hang a plaque on the wall? Should we invest it back into the building? Or should we use it for completely unrelated needs?

We debated this issue for quite some time. After all, we are vocally committed to environmental stewardship and making buildings greener, more energy- and water-efficient, and more healthy and pleasant to occupy. Our final decision: skip the plaque and put the money to productive use in making the building a more sustainable place to work. We know this is ultimately what really matters.

While attending seminars and conferences are some of the greatest ways for employees to stay on top of industry trends and learn new things that can benefit your business, maximizing that education for the benefit of the organization as a whole can be a challenge.

Miller Brooks recently sent a handful of staffers to the ExactTarget^® user conference, Connections 2011. Following the conference—filled to the brim with information and ideas—each person began completing three tasks in order to share the information with their teammates:

1. Share key learnings in one combined presentation to the staff. Each attendee was tasked with distilling their impressions into five minutes of key takeaways worth sharing with the whole agency.
2. Write one blog post to share on the MB blog. It didn’t need to be long nor comprehensive. But each attendee was asked to share an interesting thought, something that made an impression, or a new trick they learned, in a blog post. These help to educate not only our staff, but our clients and friends, as well.
3. Create focused lunch-and-learn sessions on specific topics, to delve more deeply into the information. These are designed for specific audiences within the agency, rather than the group as a whole.

So, what did they learn? Check out these five blog posts to find out:

Connections 2011: ExactTarget’s user conference wows again. I thoroughly enjoyed everything, from the opening keynote speakers to the breakout sessions and the closing day “marketing burst” sessions. I left with a few “aha” moments and lots of key takeaways from the event, namely related to mobile marketing, measurement, and managing data. Read more…

The power of 9 quotes: most memorable quotes from Connections 2011. “The Power of One” was the theme of the Connections 2011 user conference, and that very message was clear. Here are nine powerful quotes—one each from nine speakers who left me pondering long after their presentations concluded. Read more…

Social media success: Southwest Airlines’ rapping flight attendant. Southwest Airlines, as a brand, has always fascinated me. It has no problem with employees expressing their personalities through their job, and the brand uses that to its advantage in the company’s social media strategy. Read more…

Lead nurturing: building relationships to qualify more leads. Have you been to a trade show lately? If so, you may have noticed that booth traffic is slower than in the past, and leads are down. With so many companies watching their bottom line, it is not surprising that they are sending fewer people to trade shows. So, as a marketer, what are you doing differently with those valuable leads? Read more…

Looking at social media as data: making measurement meaningful. While social media has become a valuable part of the marketing mix for many of today’s companies, many recent studies show most measurement is ad hoc and scattered. Of those attempting to measure, few are doing it in a meaningful way. Read more…

On Friday, October 7, 2011, Miller Brooks hosted nearly 250 guests at our 10th annual Cook for the Cure in what became food-fight central, as an International Cuisine competition ensued. And it was all in the name of fighting breast cancer.

Our goal: To raise $100,000 in 10 years for the Indianapolis affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure—and have fun!

The weather was perfect, as a final surge of summer fell upon Indianapolis. Employee teams representing five countries set up their make-shift restaurants on the grounds of Miller Brooks. They cooked, served, cheered and danced from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. And that doesn’t include the hours of cooking and strategizing beforehand. Whew!

The countries and representing teams were:

• Australia: Team Aussie
• Greece: Hellenic Bells
• Germany: Spitzen Koch
• India: Curry Fury!
• Italy: Mamma Mia!

The competition was fierce, and in the end, Team Greece/Hellenic Bells took top honors again. (Last year, the same team was known as “Hell’s Bells”.)

A different kind of competition took place online simultaneously: with over 70 items up for bid in the silent auction, guests near and far had plenty to choose from.

All of us at Miller Brooks are proud to report that we smashed our previous fundraising records and raised nearly $20,000—almost enough to meet that goal of $100,000 in 10 years. While there is still no cure for breast cancer, we know that we are making an impact on finding it. And once the cure is found, what a celebration that will be.

A special thanks to our event sponsors:

• Delta Faucet Company
• Eiteljorg Museum
• Green Builder Media
• Kimball Office
• Lake County Press
• Marvel Us Parties
• Mallow Run Winery
• Platinum Recruiting
• Whirlpool Corporation

Here’s a video from the special day:

Thank you to everyone who came, donated, ate, and helped us this year! We hope you can join us again.

To paraphrase Peter Drucker: the purpose of a business is to fulfill customer needs.

Sounds simple enough in theory, but the reality is quite a bit different in the day-to-day crush of business. Even though it’s easy to do business across long distances, there are advantages to staying physically close to your customers. Here are five reasons we think it makes great sense to stay close to the very people who keep you in business: your customers.

1. They love it when you pay attention.
Three or four recessions ago, United Airlines ran a commercial about a boss who got a call from his oldest customer telling him he was ending the relationship because the company had “forgotten” about him.

The boss’ response was to get airline tickets for everyone in the company—beginning with himself—and send them off to visit customers. And the boss? He said, “I’m going to see an old friend.” Nice touch. But it shouldn’t take a recession and the loss of an account to get us motivated.

Be there where and when it’s important. Celebrate their big wins, and commiserate over a beer during a rough patch. Check out the new production line. You get the idea.

And, while being there in person is always nice, it’s not the only way to stay close to customers. Keep them up-to-speed on industry developments, trend information and research. Even in a hyper-connected world, it’s easy to miss important information, so go ahead and share it. Maybe even send it via snail mail with a personal note.

2.    You might gain important insights.
When you’re close to your customer, you have the opportunity to soak up the culture and the dynamics of their team, including how they operate together and with other colleagues. You pick up insights about products, new service concepts or upcoming campaigns. Plus, it gives you a front-row seat to experience the spirit and culture of the organization. This is all common practice for sales reps, but marketing and branding people would be well-advised to get out more often as well.

Trade shows and industry events are a good place to connect with customers. They will know you’re fully engaged when you spend time in their exhibit, talking with their customers and seeing business from a different perspective.

3.    They can be great sounding boards for your new products.
People who use your products and services now may be your best resources for inspiration and feedback for the next great innovation or development.

For starters, they will no doubt be flattered to play the expert, reviewing your concepts or prototypes. And if beta testing (asking a willing partner to actually use a pre-release version of a product) is something you typically do, then you may find interested volunteers among your customers.

They may spot oversights or areas for improvement, because they are the intended audience. Best of all, it puts you in constant communication and contact with them.

One caveat: Structure the process so they can’t hijack the project and then feel slighted if their ideas aren’t completely incorporated.

4.    They may open your eyes to improvements you can make in your company.
Keep alert for side comments made during meetings, casual conversations, after work or over a lunch for interesting tidbits and tips. They might be worth applying to your own business.

A couple of examples: A few years ago, we heard a client saying that they were going to implement a disaster recovery requirement for all of their suppliers. Another client said that they were going to require suppliers to carry larger errors-and-omissions insurance policies.

We took those comments to heart, reviewed and updated our insurance policies, and started developing a disaster recovery plan—two things we should have been doing all along. Our business is better off because we learned important business “rules” from our customers.

5.    They might even give you an order.
Sometimes just showing up works small miracles.

Every brand has a story. And every brand has a promise (or should).

Employees can be one of your biggest brand advocates—but can they tell your brand story?

My son and I were at Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt a few weeks ago. The store is a fun concept: self-serve frozen yogurt with an extensive offering of toppings that encourage you to pile on. (But they charge by the ounce, so be careful!)

I think the Orange Leaf name and concept is so unique. While I was there, I asked an employee to tell me about the name and history of the company.

Blank stare.

And a good reminder. What would your employees say if someone asked about your brand? As marketers, we often forget that our employees can be one of our biggest brand advocates. Sometimes they can be the make-or-break of your customer experience.

So what are some simple best practices for transforming employees into brand advocates?

Evaluate.
What are your employees currently saying about your brand? What are their feelings about the brand? This will help provide a level set going forward.

Educate.
Tell your employees about the great work you are doing to build the brand. Communicate what a brand promise is, and help them understand that promise for your brand.

Engage.
Give employees a voice in the process. Ask for feedback where appropriate, and help them feel involved in building the brand.

Explain.
Have your marketing team and executives help employees understand what the brand promise means for their specific activities. Help them understand how they can live out that brand promise.

My self-serve yogurt experience was much more than just yogurt in a cup. My son is now so engaged with the Orange Leaf brand that he talks about it nearly every day. What will be his next creation of yogurt and toppings? He calls it his “recipe”.

So what is your recipe for empowering your employees to become your brand advocates?

Picture this all-too-common scenario: You’ve set up a Facebook page for your company. You’re officially on the social media bandwagon, ready to welcome leagues of fans with open arms.

But very few people “Like” you.

Why? What are you doing wrong?

You may actually be doing a number of things right, but your brand may not be a good fit for Facebook. Even after all this time, Facebook remains a primarily personal space. According to research conducted by ExactTarget and CoTweet, the top three reasons people use Facebook are:

1. To reconnect with old friends and friends who live far away
2. To maintain personal contacts
3. To stay on top of their social lives

At the bottom of the list of reasons, though, only 15% of Facebook members use the network to maintain professional or work contacts.

Now take that a step further, moving beyond friends, and consider the presence of companies and brands on Facebook. When this social network first allowed companies to join, many users resisted the idea, fearing that they’d be bombarded with marketing messages. You’ll still find many people who feel this way. Today, people Like brands on Facebook for three primary reasons:

1. To declare public support and allegiance to a brand
2. To support a cause they believe in
3. To gain exclusive access to discount offers, events and contests

For B2B marketers in particular, the combination of these statistics may be discouraging, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you should dismiss Facebook entirely. Instead, step back and view your brand objectively. Ask yourself some questions before you launch a Facebook page or try to evaluate why your existing page isn’t performing as well as you’d hoped:

1. Are my customers active on Facebook?
2. Do my customers—be sure to think of them as people—want to broadcast to all their friends that they stand in support of my brand?
3. Do they want to continually stay up-to-date with news from me, even outside their normal work hours?
4. Do I give them reason to want to remain in touch?

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, Facebook may not be the right place for your brand’s social media efforts.

In a recent MediaPost article, blogger Sarah Larcker used the pharmaceutical industry as an example:

“Clicking ‘Like’ results in a public declaration of support for a given brand. It’s conspicuous consumption for the Millennial generation. The problem for pharma brands is two-fold. First, because of regulatory restrictions, pharma brands generally don’t provide much value on their pages or a reason to ‘like’ them. But the second, bigger issue is that people simply don’t want to declare public support for a medication.

“Pharma brands shouldn’t expect to be ‘liked’ in this way because this action is at odds with how most people think about their medications: I rely on the meds I take, I trust them, I feel thankful for them. But I don’t ‘like’ them. ‘Like’ is simply the wrong declaration of emotion for a pharma brand. Are you comfortable publicly broadcasting your use of Viagra to all your friends, family, and coworkers? Even if you are, trust me, they don’t want to hear about it.”

Does your brand have a similar relationship with its customers? Approach social media the same way you consider any other media—strategically and objectively. You may have very loyal customers who are happy with your brand and will gladly refer you to a colleague—but they don’t feel the need to share that with their fellow college alumni, their best friends from high school, their book club, their mom, or their other 300 friends.

On the other hand, they may be glad to retweet your links or join your discussion on LinkedIn.

People may not “Like” you, but this popularity contest may be better fought on different turf.

Further reading:
8 Brands that Have Found Success on Facebook & What We Can Learn: http://mashable.com/2011/05/24/successful-brands-facebook/

Study Reveals Why Consumers Fan Facebook Pages: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/study-reveals-why-consumers-fan-facebook-pages/

How Do I Get People to Like My Brand on Facebook? http://adage.com/article/special-report-digital-marketing-guide/i-people-brand-facebook/149094/

Understanding How and Why Facebook Users Interact with Brands: http://mashable.com/2010/09/16/facebook-users-interact-brands/

Forty-one years ago, I witnessed the first Earth Day on the campus of the University of Detroit. I wish I could say it was a defining event, but it wasn’t. Interesting, certainly, but there were so many other distractions.

Today, it feels that we’ve made remarkable progress in so many other aspects of life. But, I wonder how we have done in terms of environmental sustainability. The jury, it seems, may still be out on this issue.

I believe that sustainability, first and foremost, is a personal issue as much as a political one. You either see the need to live life in a more sustainable way, or you don’t. No value judgment here. We are free to choose our own path.

At home and at our Miller Brooks office, we have made major improvements in the buildings while attempting to modify how we individuals act inside them, which has such a profound effect on the environmental impact.

Here’s how I think we’re doing, at home and at the 16,000-square-foot office that Miller Brooks owns and occupies.

HOME

Over the past two years, we have begun a transformation that includes: multiple energy audits (e.g., blower door test), insulation projects, building envelope sealing, moisture management, installation of geothermal HVAC system, xeriscaping landscape to reduce/eliminate watering, conversion to LED and CFL lighting indoors and out, and a host of other projects. The net result is a reduction in overall energy consumption and water usage, plus a resulting interior environment that’s much more comfortable, with enhanced indoor air quality.

What we’ve learned: Improving the overall green profile of an old, energy-inefficient home isn’t easy. But neither is it impossible. Breaking it down into do-able steps over 18 months allowed us to accomplish much. There’s still more to do, but so far we’re pleased with the investment and the returns.

OFFICE

Our approach at the office was different. We attacked the obvious areas—those things that for the 45 employees would show instant progress. We implemented an aggressive recycling program focused on paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminum, which reduced our solid waste by 75%.

In the lunchroom, and for all client visits and functions, we’ve switched from disposables to real plates, cups, glasses and utensils. Cleaning two loads of dishes daily in our KitchenAid^® dishwasher uses less energy and water, and reminds us that little things can make decent-sized differences.

Toilets are low flow, and faucets are in the process of being switched to new Delta^® electronic low-flow models.

Conference rooms and other common areas are equipped with motion sensors to automatically switch off lights when rooms are unoccupied. And external building lights are on timers. Lighting is being switched out to LEDs and compact fluorescent wherever possible.

Extra insulation has been added (to R60) and we are investigating additional insulation in other parts of the building.

While the building is a LEED^® registered site, we have not yet started to process for certification. Still a few more things we want to get completed. Perhaps by later this year, we’ll be ready to begin the rigorous task of measuring gains in energy and water efficiency, plus a host of other metrics to meet LEED certification.

BOTTOM LINE: Lots of work, but worth it. Especially gratifying is how the employees jumped right in, and helped make the operations a lot greener by their recycling efforts, using fewer materials (i.e., printing fewer documents) and watching their energy consumption.

Both at home and at the office, the work hasn’t been overly difficult, expensive or intrusive. And the satisfaction that comes with the visible and tangible progress makes it gratifying. Fun, actually.

A QR code is a two-dimensional matrix code readable by QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code itself consists of a series of black modules arranged in a square on a white background.

There are also codes that look like this: 

This is a High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB)—the name that is used by Microsoft^® for its 2D barcode technology and serves as the basis of the Microsoft Tag application. Codes are made using clusters of colored triangles instead of square modules typically associated with 2D barcodes. HCCBs can range from 2-color black and white up to 8-color images.

Microsoft Tag is a proprietary 2D barcode implementation of HCCB that is specifically designed to be scanned by a mobile phone. The major difference between Tag and other 2D barcode technologies is that the URL (or data) is stored on the cloud. This means that you can actually use a single tag multiple times, allowing you to adjust your campaign on the fly.

QR codes have been around since the 1990s.
The QR code was originally developed in 1994 by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave to be used in tracking parts in the automotive supply chain. It has since been adapted for a variety of uses, including but not limited to, sharing a vCard, opening a web page, composing an email or sending a text message. They have been used everywhere from product packaging, magazines and signs, to trade shows, buses and business cards.

The applications are virtually endless.
QR codes can be used in a variety of ways and places. Using them in marketing efforts provides a greater ability to track response and calculate ROI.

Examples of QR code uses:

• On a postcard to provide more information
• Next to a product on a window sign—enabling the user to purchase a product 24/7
• To collect user data
• To offer special promotions to existing or new customers
• On real estate signs—to provide more information to interested homebuyers
• As personal résumés

Why consider QR codes:

They’re green.
Using QR codes helps reduce the use of printed materials which saves paper, making it a more sustainable and cost-effective option for promoting your business.

Concise up-front information.
By using a QR code on your printed material, you don’t have to weigh down your target audience with too much information. In addition, it saves the recipient from having to carry physical materials, such as brochures and press kits, around with them—items that can be misplaced or accidentally thrown away. QR codes significantly increase convenience for your target audience members who use smartphones and provide an immediate experience with a brand.

Increased website traffic.
Since QR codes instantly take smartphone users online, they increase website traffic for companies. And chances are, once the person is online, they will delve deeper into the company web page to find out more information.

They’re new and different.
Tech-savvy smartphone owners love all things new and different. Giving them a new, more convenient and creative way to access information may get them more interested in what your company or products have to offer.

Cost considerations.
Denso Wave owns the patent rights on the QR code (the term QR code is a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated), but the use of them is free of any license. QR codes are defined and published as an ISO standard.

A variety of online tools make it easy for anyone to generate a QR code. Real costs are incurred when there is a need for detailed reporting and campaign control using a provider like ScanLife.

Want to learn more?
Scan either the QR code or the Microsoft Tag featured in this article (or simply click this link) to view a digital version of our QR code white paper.

The event began with an evening cocktail reception at the Kimball^® Office Chicago showroom, located in an attractive two-story office building, where attendees could relax with some good conversation, food and drink or have a look at Kimball Office’s sustainable and versatile office furniture solutions. The presentation portion of the symposium was held the next day at World of Whirlpool Corporation, the appliance manufacturer’s new flagship brand and product experience center located in the historic Reid Murdoch Center.

The symposium’s four speaker presentations and panel discussion provided attendees with information to help them gain a deeper understanding of how today’s architects and designers operate. In addition, the attendees learned best practices for building stronger, more mutually beneficial relationships with members of the architecture and design community.

Enlightening presentations.
The event began with opening remarks from Barbie Wentworth, president of Miller Brooks, and an introduction of the day’s first keynote speaker, Dr. Alan Zimmerman, managing partner of Architectural Research Associates, a New York-based market research firm for building product manufacturers. Zimmerman’s presentation addressed and dispelled the frequent misconceptions that “architect” and “designer” are interchangeable terms. Using characteristics and national statistics to describe each group, he defined how architects and designers are different and should therefore be approached uniquely by sales and marketing professionals.

“This term, the A&D Community, doesn’t mean anything,” Zimmerman said. “They’re two completely different segments. If you want to reach them, you really have to think about them individually. I think that the idea of the A&D Community as a singular unit misleads us at times.”

Zimmerman also warned the audience against overlooking the younger architects and designers of a firm when making sales calls. Architects and designers tend to learn on the job, he said, and are specifying products right from the start. Serving the needs of young architects and designers is an excellent opportunity to help them grow in their profession and build a solid relationship with them early on.

“Those young kids are picking products, and if they’re not doing it today, they’ll be doing it tomorrow because that is how they’re learning,” Zimmerman said. “You need to give them your attention.”

The next presentation came from Al Kabus, owner of askstrategies, an Atlanta-based business consulting firm. Kabus focused on customer service, the importance of sales and marketing professionals becoming a “trusted resource” to their architect and designer customers. Sales representatives should do their best to serve every need of architect and designer customers—even if it means recommending a competitor’s product when their own company is unable to meet the needs of a particular project. Actions such as this, keeping up with industry trends, knowing the customer’s industry well, and always being available builds strong and lasting relationships.

“A lot of sales and marketing representatives just chase projects all their lives,” Kabus said. “Those organizations have a hard time building their sales because they’re starting from ground zero every year. The more you focus on your relationships with customers and add value to it, the more those people come back and thank you, time after time. Once you get in there and become a trusted resource, that’s when you start building annuity business, and that’s what we’re all looking for.”

Following Kabus was Martin Flaherty, president of ecoScorecard, an online system that allows users to identify the key environmental attributes of specific products. In his presentation, Flaherty gave an overview of sustainability as it stands in the manufacturing sector today and where it needs to go in the future.

“Sustainability isn’t going away,” Flaherty said. “It’s really crazy because what was once a fringe idea is absolutely everywhere now. There isn’t a company out there who hasn’t turned sustainability into a strategic priority. It’s like the high-fructose corn syrup of corporate issues—it’s baked in everywhere now.”

Using the Brannock Device, the familiar metal tool that revolutionized shoe sizing more than 80 years ago, as a metaphor, Flaherty expressed the importance of developing a universal standard for measuring the sustainability of building products and construction projects.

“The Brannock took three critical things that’s universal about feet—the length of your foot, the width of your foot and the arch—and put it into one device that you needed no background knowledge to understand,” Flaherty said. “This fundamentally changed the way everybody walked in and purchased shoes and substantially increased the amount of options that were available to people. It’s a really fantastic device which I am dying to see in some way, shape or form happen for us in regards to sustainability.”

Flaherty went on to talk about the many companies that have made inaccurate sustainability claims about their products and manufacturing processes as a ploy to remain competitive without making major changes in the current evolving market. This significantly slows down projects for architects and designers on green building projects, as products with green claims are often rejected after specification if the claims are found to be untrue. Having one universal standard for measuring the sustainability of products and manufacturing processes will make the transition to green building easier for architects and designers and help carry the trend to the next level.

“The information’s out there right now,” Flaherty said. “We know what sustainability means within the context of the built environment. And, as a building product manufacturer, you now have context to bring all of the material componentry of your products to really help sustainability move forward and to help architects and designers to get their jobs done. It is hugely beneficial to think about this like the Brannock, where anyone can approach your product, get the answer they need, see the options available and make the best choice.”

The first half of the symposium was concluded with “Engaging, Interacting and Connecting with Architects and Designers: A Consultant’s Perspective,” a presentation from seasoned Chicago architect Alan B. Itzkowitz, CSI, AIA, CSI, LEED^® AP, NCARB. Owner of ABI Specifications Consulting, Itzkowitz gave an overview of the specification process, describing the different specification methods architects use and software now used to assist with specifying and project planning. In addition, he gave advice for building product manufacturers hoping to place their products with architects during the specification process.

Architects are extremely busy, and manufacturers, overall, must be considerate of the limited time they have available. This goes for sales visits, as well as the dissemination of product information from the manufacturer’s website. Itzkowitz shared a story of one particular time he was waiting for product information to load on a company’s website. In the time it took to load, he was able to walk to his office library, grab the manufacturer’s product catalog, return to his desk, access the information he needed and return the catalog to his library.

“When I came back to my desk, the website was still loading,” Itzkowitz said. “I did not end up using that product. If your website doesn’t work, your product is not going to get found online and might not get specified. We don’t like to spend extra time on websites.”

After a full morning of presentations, the symposium adjourned for lunch prepared in World of Whirlpool Corporation’s kitchen showroom suites, followed by guided tours of the Reid Murdoch Center. After this, attendees returned to the classroom for an informative panel discussion focused on the views and opinions of the youngest members of today’s architecture and design community.

A youthful panel.
Moderated by Miller Brooks Principal/CEO Tom Miller, the panel featured six emerging, young interior designers from Chicago-area architecture and design firms:

• Brandon Dewitt, LEED AP, of Gensler
• Kate Egan, LEED AP, of SmithGroup
• Kate Hagelow, LEED AP, Registered Interior Designer/NCIDQ, of Whitney Design
• Melissa Mahoney, LEED AP, Registered Interior Designer/NCIDQ, of Whitney Design
• Liz Potokar, Associate IIDA, LEED AP, ID+C, of Perkins+Will
• Rita Radley, LEED AP, NCIDQ, of Gensler

Throughout the discussion, panel members fielded questions from Miller, as well as those from audience members—via text message and microphone—about issues affecting the relationships between young architects and designer and the marketing and sales departments of manufacturing companies. The following issues generated the most discussion from the panel:

• Manufacturers’ Perceptions of Architecture and Design Students—Each of the panel members expressed frustration with the tendency of manufacturer sales representatives to overlook architecture and design students and younger professionals as important customers. Members of this demographic are actively specifying products for multiple projects and need product information and samples from manufacturers to be successful at their jobs. The panel members agreed that providing good service to young architects and designers is an excellent way to ensure their loyalty and build a long-lasting relationship.
• Favorite Manufacturer Websites and Important Website Characteristics—Most of the panel members said they look for product information and design inspiration from various manufacturer websites and interior design and photographer blogs. It is important, though, for the websites to provide easy access to product information and use high-quality imagery—architects and designers are very visual people.
• 3D Modeling—Most of today’s younger designers use 3D modeling and are often considered the go-to people in their firms for help in this area. They have had experience with the software all throughout school and are faster than senior staff. Most panel members said they preferred Google Sketchup™ to Revit^®. The decision between software depends on the project, though, so it’s helpful for manufacturers to provide product information using both modeling software programs.
• Product Information Sources—Young designers draw from a mix of printed product advertisements from magazines and online advertisements. They tend to frown upon excessive email blasts and other marketing attempts that overwhelm them with product promotions.

The panel discussion generated positive interaction between panel members and the audience, and it was easy to imagine light bulbs turning on above attendees’ heads, as they heard new perspectives from the younger members of the architecture and design community.

A positive response.
At the close of the event, attendees had good things to say about all they had learned from the symposium.

“What was tremendously helpful was all the talk on sustainability and discovering how much time is spent—or wasted, rather— tracking down information we could all make more available,” said Glen Sutphin, vice president-operations manager for space division product manufacturer Modernfold Inc. “I didn’t know quite what to expect, but the interaction was great. Everyone who spoke was really well informed and did a fantastic job, and meeting all of the fellow marketing and sales representatives was nice, too.”

New, cool things get the attention.

But what about the fundamentals: do they get pushed out of the way in the rush to the next new shiny thing? Fundamentals like:

• Is it relevant to your target audience?
• Does it help deliver your brand strategy?
• Does it enhance your brand experience?
• Is it consistent with your brand promise?
• Does it support your brand positioning?
• Does it help you meet your marketing communication goals?

Isn’t this what a brand is all about… what your brand is all about?

Now, if you’re thinking that this article might be a Luddite’s slam of those “shiny new” technology developments, well, that’s certainly not the case.

In fact, the potential is there for new media to open a great expressway of opportunity, creating a richer, more meaningful bond with your customers. But (and it’s a big but), you have to know how to use these new media opportunities to extend the usefulness and meaning of your brand.

Let’s take a step back, before going forward: remember in the early-to-mid 1990s when every business had to have a website? And then, every website had to be doing e-business? Thousands of companies squandered millions of dollars because they wanted the next new thing without fully understanding what they were going to do with it once it was built.

I know, because I was just as caught up in the frenzy. This time around, however, the stakes are different, and arguably much higher. Back then, companies still believed they were in control. Now, we know who’s in control, and it isn’t us companies (It’s the customer. Right?).

There is a dizzying array of ways to interface with your B2B and other customers. LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Blogs. Groupon. YouTube. Via desktop, laptop, tablets, smartphones. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cloud. Literally thousands of options… including print and broadcast media that is being served-up in unique, compelling ways.

The options are truly mind-boggling. And that’s the good news. Because if you develop your strategy, do your media homework and commit to getting truly involved, you will be rewarded with success.

There’s an interesting book that helps make sense of this, in a straightforward, common sense way. It’s called The Cluetrain Manifesto. Originally written in 2000, it was recently updated in 2010. I have copies if you’re interested. If you’d like a copy, just email me: tom@millerbrooks.com.