Show Me the Value!
New Marketing Campaign to Shine Light on Union Quality
When a cross-section of Building Advantage contractors and trades people were recently surveyed about how to improve union construction in Southeast Wisconsin, it came as no surprise that “helping customers understand the value we bring” drew the biggest response.
For as long as union construction has existed, quality has been a key to success. However, over the past decade, a price-sensitive marketplace has made it tough for some union contractors in the area to remain competitive while still maintaining a high level of quality.
“We know there are customers who will pay more upfront if they know they are saving more in the end,” says Fred Kinateder, director of the Building Advantage marketing committee and an established area mason contractor. “The challenge for us has always been to get customers to look at the total value that union contractors provide and how that translates into a better experience – economically and otherwise.”
As a solution to the industry's challenges, the Construction Labor Management Council of Southeast Wisconsin (CLMC), through the Building Advantage brand, is launching a marketing campaign to promote the quality that Building Advantage contractors and trades people deliver.
The campaign will be aimed at both consumers and commercial construction buyers to creatively depict the powerful role quality plays in a variety of construction situations. With each example of quality, the campaign will urge prospective construction buyers to decide whether their construction project is “worth it” in regard to quality.
At the heart of the campaign's quality message is a set of performance standards called The Building Advantage Promise. These standards are intended to make the value of union construction more identifiable and, in effect, give prospective customers the confidence that choosing union means choosing a job well done.
To create The Building Advantage Promise, the CLMC consulted the established codes of conduct within each trade union, as well as common performance standards of union contractors. These standards are designed with the customer in mind and provide assurances that the contractor measures up to a high level of quality – taking into account issues such as performance, safety, responsible employment, excellence in craftsmanship, diversity, project management and community commitment.
“If we're going to compete now and in the future, we have to make quality a key factor in how people purchase construction services,” says Kinateder. “We also need to reach the right people because not everyone can afford a premium product like ours. That's what this marketing campaign is about – reaching the right people with the right message.”
The new marketing campaign will kick off in spring 2007 and will be supported through advertising, direct mail and public relations. Campaign logos will be available for contractors and unions to use for promotional purposes. Visit buildingadvantage.org in the coming months for additional campaign details and updates.
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