Releasing fear, embracing creativity.

As a design geek, I read a lot of design blogs. One of which I follow religiously is Seth Godin's blog. Frankly, I think he's brilliant.

Several months ago, I was struck by his post on the lizard brain. This is an actual part of the brain, and has been with humankind for millennia. It's the amygdala, near the brain stem, and is responsible for the formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events. If you've experienced an event that left you afraid of heights, for example, your lizard brain tells you to slowly back away from the ledge, to be careful.

Unfortunately, it also tells you to play it safe, to stay within that comfortable bubble you've built for yourself. This is particularly bad in business.

Every designer has had those clients who are terrified of breaking out of that bubble. You start off with a presentation of inspired, thought-provoking design work, but are forced to go through round after round of dilution only to end up with the same old tired line.

Pushing past that pattern is difficult. We at Function: are lucky to have trusting and truly brave clients. And while we worked for years to get here, we're constantly working to make our expertise ever more solid. We push ourselves every day to find innovative and exciting methods of promoting our clients and their initiatives. We do this through super smart strategy and, of course, slammin' design.

Case in point, the recently-launched integrated campaign announcing Kawneer's partnership with Forster. It's a spectacular leap forward for Kawneer, adding steel to their already all-encompassing array of aluminum products. Thanks to this partnership, Kawneer leverages themselves as the only supplier in North America to offer a complete range of aluminum and steel glazing solutions.

To fully express the bigness of the partnership, we went big with the design.. and the message. And Kawneer fell hard for the concept. We can't say we blame them.

angela k mitchell
art director
FUNCTION:
we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations

Excellence has its rewards!

Below is a video clip from Architectural Record's AIA Excellence in Advertising Awards Ceremony featuring commentary from the jury on our print ad that won Best in Class: Single Page.

From one of the judges:
"I gave it high marks for aesthetics; it stopped me in my tracks and compelled me to read more. I read every word of it, yet it never even showed the product."


Video courtesy McGraw-Hill Construction.

ted hettick
FUNCTION: we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations

lighting up the market up [ GKD Webinar ]

See and Be Seen: Designing a Transparent Media Facade

Situation: One of GKD’s 2010 objectives was to increase awareness of its transparent media facade products, Mediamesh® and Illumesh®. Because the products had been on the market for a while, Function: suggested GKD re-introduce them to its audience of architects and contractors by focusing on product capabilities. Function: also recommended educating GKD’s audience through a new approach rather than the traditional product press release.

To educate the market, Function: worked with GKD to develop messages and content that emphasized the unique features, as well as the aesthetic, environmental and financial benefits of transparent media facades. Function: developed an internal calendar of bylined articles the company could develop and pitch, as well as various case studies, a comprehensive webinar and more. The key was promoting an integrated message that consistently educated architects on the benefits of transparent media facades. Consideration of the vertical markets played a large part in message and byline development. Because education was a critical factor throughout the re-introduction campaign, segmenting the audience into vertical markets was essential.

To reach the audience, Function: targeted specific industry publications across the vertical segments, as well as architectural and environmental building and design magazines. All case studies and webinar information was distributed to the targeted media list. In addition, bylined articles have been developed and tweaked with the specific publication’s audience in mind.

Results: The re-introduction of GKD’s transparent media façades is an ongoing campaign and has been very successful thus far. GKD hosted its webinar, “See and Be Seen: Understanding Transparent Media Facades” and drew more than 125 registered attendees, which included architects and media. Function: produced this webinar and developed all promotional content including press announcements and eblasts. Function: and GKD continue to find that emphasizing the specific benefits of the products has not only made the products more memorable, but also has been an effective way to educate GKD’s audience.

things are looking up [ Ceiling Tile Focus Group ]

A+D Ceiling Tile Qualitative Research

Situation: Despite a superior product offering, a ceiling tile manufacturer was struggling to compete for market share against established competitors with larger marketing budgets. The client needed to adjust their message and positioning for better alignment against the competitive landscape and turned to Function: for an insightful, customer focused marketing strategy.

Qualitative research was conducted to gain favor with new and existing ceiling tile specifiers by aligning the client with current industry style trends, creating new sales and marketing opportunities, and generating R+D initiatives. The study focused on revealing trends such as aesthetic preferences and nomenclature within the architect and designer audience segments. To uncover these findings, interviews were conducted with 22 ceiling tile specifiers from the A+D community.

Results: The results provided an overall look at the competitive landscape and how other manufacturers are describing their products. A competitive analysis was created from the findings and recommendations were made for strategic positioning and branding. A simple approach to A+D customers was uncovered, resulting in an opportunity to increase sales by saving specifiers a step in the product selection process. The study was designed to maximize reception of market insights and the findings ultimately helped the client to:

• Better understand the needs and preferences of target audience
• Deliver a system/solution comparable to the competition
• Establish a tighter spec
• Increase awareness
• Develop brand loyalty
• Increase sales and capture market share

Other recommendations helped the client:

• Understand the thought process of the architect or designer at the time of product specification
• Differentiate their products amongst the competition
• Achieve deeper vertical segment marketing

laying ground for haiti [ Johnsonite NeoCon Event ]

Johnsonite – Promoting Sustainability Through Interactive NeoCon Event

Situation: With a history of strong sustainable product development and practices, Johnsonite sought to increase awareness around its ongoing sustainable programs and efforts during the NeoCon® World’s Trade Fair 2010. However, gathering an audience through a static event at tradeshows can be difficult and costly. The company wanted to develop an event that created an ongoing buzz at show, gaining them recognition amongst designers, architects and media.

To help develop a campaign, Johnsonite enlisted Function:. Taking the audience and messages into consideration, Function: worked with Johnsonite to create an interactive event that would unite architects and designers to create a larger picture of sustainability, generate awareness of the platform, showcase products and provide ongoing education to these audiences. To do so, NeoCon attendees were invited to come by the Johnsonite booth to pick up a piece of the company’s floor tile (getting specific product samples into the hands of the audience). The attendees were then asked to place their piece on a larger canvas, working with their peers to create a collage. For every tile placed, Johnsonite pledged to donate five-square-feet of flooring product to Architecture for Humanity for its efforts to rebuild in Haiti.

Promotion of the event was critical. In addition to working with Johnsonite to create and execute the event, Function: also worked on developing several promotional items, including a microsite, Tweet cards and Collage stickers. The microsite was designed to replicate the visual of the collage, with links to Tarkett, Johnsonite and Azrock sites, key product information, sustainable messages, event information and a downloadable press kit. In addition, Function: created an online Twitter campaign for Johnsonite to share sustainable messaging and show information. The event was also promoted prior to the show via press release and with media during scheduled interviews throughout NeoCon.

Results: Due to excellent event attendance, Johnsonite will donate 3,000-square-feet of its Harmonium xf Linoleum Flooring to Architecture for Humanity. In addition, several industry publications featured the story online and blogged about the event. These included Interior Design, Interiors & Sources, Environmental Design & Construction, FloorBiz.com and PME, amongst others. Johnsonite also gained followers and recognition on Twitter and continues to grow its group of online followers.

getting social with the industry [ Function: Social Media Campaign ]

Function: Socialize with Your Audience Campaign

Situation: Successful public relations and communications are dependent upon a company’s ability to reach its target audience. As an agency that specializes in connecting building product manufacturers with the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, Function: sees connecting clients with their target audience as our most important task. Recently, we launched our “Socialize” campaign. “Socialize” allows us to use new and rapidly growing forms of technology to engage and connect with architects, manufacturers, contractors, engineers and more. The ultimate goal of these efforts was to fulfill their promise to clients: “we’re connected to the audience you need to reach.”

To better understand our audience, we began our “Socialize” campaign by conducting a study on the social media activity of architects (What sites do they use? How often? For what purposes?). Using this research, we began to connect to and build a following of AEC industry professionals on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and also created guidelines and schedules to ensure our consistent and active involvement on each of these sites.

With the foundation of relationships and guidelines of consistency, the second step of “Socialize” was creativity. Function: hosted a conference on Twitter (termed Function:140), webinars on social media and content management, which included participation from architects and members of the media and conducted a survey on the number of architects using social media. We also developed a “Meet Up” group, inviting architects from around the country to join us at AIA in order to tour manufacturer booths and provide first-hand advice on how building product manufacturers can improve their products and communications tactics.

Results: “Socialize” has achieved tremendous results. Industry media and architects regularly approach Function: with questions about social media and its role in the industry, and have utilized our research in blogs and presentations, ultimately showing they value Function: as a resource and as expert thought-leaders In addition, we have seen an increase in client media placement as a result of the relationships we have formed through our “Socialize” campaign. Clients are also beginning to look at social media as a viable communications tool and calling on our expertise to develop strategic plans, content management services and internal guidelines.

talk the talk [ Mohawk Sales Training ]

Training for the A+D community

Situation: With new single family home construction diminishing, Mohawk Industries decided to focus its sales efforts beyond the residential builder/contractor to capitalize on current market opportunities. Mohawk expanded its target audience to include architects and designers, developers, and facility managers/owners to increase market share in multi-family residential, mixed-use development and commercial building applications. Accustomed to selling to builders and contractors, Mohawk’s reps were immediately challenged by the complexity and difference of the A+D Community, quickly realizing their usual residential sales approach would not work. To help their sales force better understand and sell to their expanded customer base, Mohawk sought out Function: for our in-depth knowledge of and expertise with the trade audience.

Results: Function: executed a phased research and sales training program based on the clients’ short and long term goals and sales strategy. Structured content branded the sales message, creating a consistent and successful customer experience. Within 12 months of implementation, year-over-year sales increased by 25% and their sales force had become reportedly comfortable in their interactions with the A+D Community. Project scope/deliverables included:

• Market Analysis – micro-segment the clients target audiences to help sales people identify the proper entry point, based on firm type, size and specialization.
• Customer Behavior Profile – online surveys and video interviews with architects and designers to develop value propositions per target audience, identify vertical market opportunities and create a level of comfort for reps dealing with the A+D Community.
• Sales Training – creation of sales program based on research findings and existing knowledge. Featured interactive presentation materials and workbooks with content and instruction for conducting sales calls and lunch & learns, facilitator training guide, and sales tools per target audience.

FUNCTION: Construct Knowledge Series Webinar "Design with a Conscience: Humanitarianism in Architecture"

Function:'s latest Webinar focused on the burgeoning practice of “humanitarian design” and its effect on the industry. Below are four segments from the Webinar.

“Function: has seen design focus continue to shift from the elaborate to the purposeful. We’ve seen sustainability grow to include a responsibility not only to the environment but toward humanity as a
whole. Humanitarian design in architecture has been around for many, many years but has been overlooked or less publicized. Through this webinar we hope to continue to shed light on this important industry movement and on this advance toward social responsibility in architecture.” - Dana Castle, Function:’s Principal and Director of Strategy.

Clip 1 - Introductions, discussion topics include:

• How does humanitarian design differ from general community service practices?

• Do building trends often come from a change in market demand or vice versa?

• What do you think is the best way to raise awareness of this trend/draw others in too?
 

Clip 2 - Discussion topics include:

• What is the reaction from the A&D community toward this shift to humanitarian design and architecture? 

• How can the industry get involved – from architects to BPMs?
 


Clip 3 - Discussion topics include:

• How do these projects come to fruition? 
• What channels do architects go through to find out about these types of projects and how are specific projects selected? 
• What makes one more appropriate than another? 

• What are the things most important in humanitarian design that are not often encountered in traditional planning?

• What is the product criteria for these projects? More or less strict?

Clip 4 - Discussion topics include:


• Do architects and designers expect manufacturers to have sustainable products or is it still a commodity? 
• If sustainability is an expectation, what kind of messages do you want to hear from them? What do you tire of hearing about?

• From the media perspective how have you seen this design trend evolve over the last several years? 
• Do you see this as something that is layered on top of the sustainable building practices as a new thought process?  
• Where did this trend come from? 
• What role do you see Humanitarian Design and Architecture having in the future?

ted hettick
business development manager
FUNCTION: we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations

Four Words So Much

I’ve always been a lover of words. When I was a little girl my mom and dad spent hours and hours reading to me each week. As soon as I could read myself, my parents urged me to keep a “book list” (they paid me a dollar a book…always good to have the financial incentive!) My closet in my parents’ house is still filled with stacks of journals I kept over the years- beginning with the scrawling handwriting of a 5-year-old and eventually filled with stories and reflections in high school. I majored in English in college- and here I am today using my love of words in a public relations career. Anyway, that’s my writing background. Hopefully that gives you a little more of an idea what I mean when I say that I love words.

Function: uses words to market ourselves and our clients. Function: understands the power of words and the value of selecting the right words and placing them in an order that truly communicates a message effectively. I love how Function: constantly uses the phrase: “We’re into building things.” To me, that phrase is artistic. It obviously makes a reference to Function:’s specialty as an agency for the architecture, engineering and construction industry. But its meaning continues beyond that. Function: is into building things. Lots of things. Function: builds our clients- their reputations, their messages, their sales. Function: builds creatively. Function: builds to last. Function: builds knowledge. We study industry trends and use our knowledge to benefit our clients. We also build relationships- with our clients, with the media and with industry professionals like architects, contractors and more. Through our pro bono work, we help build positive communities.

When I really stop to think of it, so much of who we are as a company is packed into the four words “We’re into building things.”

Healthy, wealthy and wise

Toward the end of my pregnancy my blood pressure skyrocketed. It got so high that I had to visit my doctor three times a week, was put on bed rest and was even checked into the hospital for monitoring several times. Needless to say, it was no picnic. After having my son, who was induced two weeks early but was healthy and perfect, I took a good, hard look at my health and what was possibly causing my blood pressure to elevate to levels beyond comprehension. Upon evaluation I found that I needed to make several changes in order to decrease my blood pressure and prevent future health issues.

I knew that what I put into my body had to change. I mean, as much as I would like to, I certainly couldn't live off Sour Patch Kids, Mexican food and Diet Coke forever. And I knew I needed to exercise more (walking into the store to buy Sour Patch Kids and Diet Coke wasn’t necessarily a work out). So, I knew how I could improve my health with diet and exercise, but how did my physical environment impact my health?

Working for Function: the past few years has taught me that, like with people, there are healthy and unhealthy buildings and that the way the building is designed and the products selected for those buildings can impact the health of its occupants. According to the EPA, on average, Americans spend about 90 percent or more of their time indoors. That’s a lot of time (get outside people – including me). Indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times higher, and occasionally more than 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. Makes you think about where you are sitting right now.

From the amount of daylight in a building, to the VOCs used to make the flooring and the adhesives used to connect the floors, there are many factors that contribute to the health (or lack thereof) of a building. The health of building occupants is top of mind to architects, designers and building product manufacturers. As BPMs develop products they consider how those products affect building occupants – from how they heal, work, learn to how they conduct recreational activities. One of our clients, a flooring manufacturer, evaluates their offerings in terms of its contribution to indoor air quality, by making floors that easy to maintain and require fewer chemicals to clean, amongst many other things.

I can’t do much about my office or the buildings I enter, but in my home I am making sure that the blinds are open to let more sunlight in, that we are cleaning with less abrasive chemicals and that I am doing what I can to make my physical surrounding as healthy as possible. As an architect, manufacturer, contractor, building owner, etc. it’s your job to make sure that your buildings and products are as healthy as possible for the people who use them. Sure, make em’ pretty. But keep making em’ healthy too.

In praise of accepting praise.

Compliments have always been difficult for me to take. Even as a kid, a pat on the back was humbly accepted, though I thought not usually deserved. I attribute this to a very peculiar disease of which I am a sufferer: perfectionism.

For me, it's never quite done.. Rarely quite right.. And certainly not good enough to pass my own stringent standards. But a couple of weeks ago, I got a good teachin' on how to take a compliment.

Around the middle of June, Architectural Record and McGraw Hill Construction announced the annual winners of their Advertising Excellence Awards, which recognize the most effective ads in the building and design marketplace. And guess who was at the top of the list? Function:!

The ad I created for Kawneer's continuing Sustainability campaign was graced with the Best in Class stamp.

And I must say, I do love this ad. It's clean and minimalist and reflects an aesthetic I've long hoped a client would jump on board with. But it also very effectively illustrates Kawneer's commitment to sustainable products and practices; the ad is about building a healthy environment with knowledge, something that Kawneer does and helps their customers do.

The real kick in the pants came with this judge's comments: "It stopped me in my tracks and compelled me to read more. I read every word of it, yet it never even showed you the product."

Boy, is that a compliment or what! Go team!!

But what really makes this win feel amazing? Knowing that we did the very best for our client, made a beautiful and smart ad, and that it works. Because design isn't design if it doesn't communicate.

So I graciously accept this compliment, though it's not merely mine to accept. But I doubt it'll do much to remedy that pesky case of perfectionism.

angela k mitchell
art director
FUNCTION:
we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations

Architecture Firm Visit

I recently paid a visit to my industry friends over at Houser Walker Architecture and got a chance to catch up with one of the firm's partners, Greg Walker. Houser Walker is a boutique architecture studio that specializes in cultural/civic centers, and has been profiled by Arch Record as an emerging regional firm. I was introduced to the HWA team through industry events and they have been kind enough to lend their input and professional perspective for several research projects as well as our Construct Knowledge Series - back when we hosted the CKS live here in our office.

It was great to meet with Greg and hear about the projects they have been working on recently at Houser Walker, including the renovation of Ingram Library at University of West Georgia, which is currently under construction. I found it interesting to hear that HWA's clients are increasingly requesting  sustainable design and LEED certified buildings. This reinforces the notion that we at Function: have been advocating for years - green is not just a trend, it's evolving to be standard practice. Greg also mentioned how competitive the industry has become during the recession - what once was ten or fifteen firms bidding for a project has turned into fifty! As a smaller firm, Houser Walker relies largely on word of mouth and personal connections to develop their business and has stayed busy with state and county funded projects. Later this month, Houser Walker will be celebrating its seventh year of practice with an annual summer block party - congrats HWA!




ted hettick
business development manager
FUNCTION: we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations

The Intern's Experience

Thoughts from one of our excellent summer interns. A discussion of Function:, the true value of an internship experience and the difference between work and school...

A Visit to the Real World, by Clay Tinkler

This summer, the summer before my senior year in high school, I spent some time interning at Function:. Before this experience, I had yet to work a single day in a place that wasn’t for community service. If someone had told me that I would be expected to jump through flaming hoops I probably would have believed them, I was that new to the experience. Leading up to my first day was interesting as my level of nervousness and fear kept rising. There were other interns but they had already been at Function: for a while so I was going to be on a very different level than them. One of the other interns helped me get a spot and turned on the computer but then left and went back to her spot up at the front desk. I was on my own- but not really, everyone at the office would check in on me and the person I was doing the jobs and research for, Jody, kept in contact at all times and gladly answered all of my questions and yes, there were a lot of questions asked. My fears of being stuck on my own on some endless filing job were gone after day one at Function: and slowly I started exploring the differences between high school and the work place.

The first difference I noticed was people answering their phones. I had become so accustomed to phones being a forbidden fruit at school that the first time I saw someone at Function: answer their phone I was waiting on some sort of authority figure to come take the persons phone away and send them to see the principal. No one got punished for a vibrating phone and that was probably the first thing that made me realize this wasn’t the same as school.

Not only did Function: allow people to answer their phones…they did other things to enjoy themselves too. In the three weeks that I have been here we have celebrated a persons birthday and one day randomly decided to have pizza in the conference room, and everyone was invited.

The next way that Function: impacted my view of the workplace was the realization that there were no tests and grades. I got to research at Function: and this was one of the first times I truly researched a new idea without having a test about it later. I spent time studying why Function chose to specialize in one area so they could truly show their clients what works and what doesn’t. I was glad Function: was so specialized as it let me gain a quicker understanding of exactly what function can and did do for its clients.

But what truly brought around the sensation of not being in a school setting was when I got to post my first Tweet on Twitter. I wrote a few Tweet ideas down and asked Jody which would be best to post. I was nervous as I opened up the company’s Twitter account, realizing that what I Tweeted would be seen by other people and could impact how people viewed the company. I re-read what I had typed about 6 times before hitting send to make sure that nothing could be wrong. Yet of course there was a mistake, the link I had put was the wrong link. At school I might have gotten an F on a project like this, but at Function:, I got an email just telling me to post another Tweet correcting the old one. I was ecstatic. Instead of getting a bad grade I got to correct my mistake.

The differences between how I had been learning at school and how I was working at Function: really stick out to me. Perhaps schools and tests are not preparing us for what the world is really like. That’s why, I believe, internships are so important. In the short time I have been at Function: I learned quite a bit about who I am and what I can expect in my not too far off future. I’m looking forward to the real world.

Humanitarianism in Architecture

People say there is always good that comes out of a bad economy. One trend - I will call it a trend but in reality it has been around forever but just has not gotten the attention it deserved- is Humanitarian Design in Architecture. Lately I have seen more coverage on this subject and have read many accounts of great projects that get to the heart of the substance of good architecture. When things get tough, in any profession, the substance always rises to the top and this is a case in point. Take a look at groups such as Architecture for Humanity or Design Corps. This is good architecture in action.

Sustainability was once also viewed as a trend now the industry fully embraces this practice and expects it. Sustainability is a given in these type projects. Not only do projects like these encourage sustainable building and design practices, but they also help sustain our communities – locally and globally. Because thinking sustainability often means thinking beyond the thermal performance of your roof or the daylighting in your building. It means thinking about the people and communities those buildings serve. How can we, the A&D community, create spaces that are healthier and provide opportunity? This new movement of humanitarian design in architecture coupled with sustainability is a win-win for everyone.

It is important for all of us to determine where we can fit into this movement. Architects, designers, building product manufacturers, marketers and the media can all find their place in moving this thought process forward. Join Function: on July 15th for a webinar to take this discussion further. To register for the webinar please go to- https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/234495410.

--
dana castle
principal + director of strategy
404 524 3075 x12
functionatl.com

FUNCTION:
we’re into building things through marketing, and public relations

check us out online:
blog: http://blog.functionatl.com/
twitter: @FunctionAtlanta
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-GA/FUNCTION/59353898297
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1842463&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Help Us Help You

I don't agree with but can understand the cautious approach or hesitancy to undertaking a social media program.  But it pains me when I hear people say they don't see the value in it. I worry about the future of a business that clings to an old-school communications model with little or no online marketing efforts. And I'm not talking about websites, banner ads and SEO/SEM. Those come standard. And Function: can help you make those better.

While I won't argue that Social Media may not be the right fit for your exact product offering, but I will assert that the facts are out there: your audience is using Social Media in some way or another and if you're not capitalizing on it - someone else is (and it could be a competitor of yours). A recent study we conducted on our own architect database revealed that the professional networking site, LinkedIn was the most popular outlet among this segment.

A better answer for a lack of involvement with Social Media I've heard is that we don't have time for it. I get that. I don't know anyone who would object to a couple extra hours in the day to finish up your work. It can be a time and labor intensive commitment to start up your social media pages, regularly engage your followers and keep them checking back regularly for updates. Especially during a down economy, it can be difficult to find the personnel to tackle social media internally.

That's where Function: comes in. Think of us as hired muscle for your Social Media and Content needs. Social Media Mercenaries, if you will. We act as an extension of our clients' marketing teams, turning their Social Media wish list into a reality, creating content that resonates with the architects and contractors who Blog and are actively using Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

There are many companies still putting their toes in the Social Media waters. Some still wading around ankle deep. I hear a lot of "Yes, we've got a Blog or a FB/Twitter page...Well, it's just a shell but we have one." Not surprisingly, this is unimpressive at best to your customers to find a placeholder with no depth of content online. For those out there still testing the Social Media waters - here's a perspective for you to consider: you can’t physically drown in social media, so why only go so deep when you can dive in? Function: will act as your life jacket, keeping you afloat.

If it is on your wish list but simply don't have the time to take the Social Media plunge, please let me know and we can build a plan structured to meet your goals and needs.

ted hettick  
business development manager  
FUNCTION: we’re into building things through marketing, design and public relations