Shem Pafin ARCH 157

Reaction Paper on Marketing: Lessons from Americas Best-managed Architectural Firms

The Importance of Marketing in Architectural Firms Marketing is important to any businesses and business-related industries. And since the practice of architecture is a business, it plays a significant role in the process of establishing what others called as brand of the firm. According to Craig Park in his Brand Equity, the brand of the firm is the sum of all its measureable and visceral characteristics the ideas, the values, philosophy, features, and history that makes it unique. In other words, an architectural firm, like any other products or perhaps celebrities, shall have a branding on the image/message it has to the public, which are the future clients. The most important and effective advertisement of a firm is through the testament of its projects. What matters most is the final output and how it lives to the prospect branding. The services offered must breathe in parallel with the idea of their brand. While marketing, on the other hand, could be the supporting arm of the firm through promotional services. It plays a significant role in a way that will bridge the concept to the public about the work per se. Aside from all the attributes an architect must possess (based from the great Vitruvius), in the age of internet, an architect must also possess a kind of quality an ability to attract clients and projects. And what more strategy there is, but marketing and effective communication. The art of communication plays a vital role in this process. The author criticises the architects inability to create brands for their own firm and interpret a wrong idea on marketing. Throughout history, the architects are not made to market but only to design. The building is still the complete manifestation of the firms identity and values. But the architect shall not only rely on it with regards to how the firm is market and advertised in the world of clients, which lack any hint on the designers agenda.

There should also be a good relationship between the firm and the clients. A good relationship establishes identity and respect, and permits the way to many more clients and opportunities. The important thing is to be able to understand and respond to the clients needs; be able to connect and understand their (architectural) problems and desires. This is part of the strategic planning. Strategic planning also includes establishment of the firms competitive e dge among others, a sense of identity and direction, understanding the need of the client and the firm s available services (to be able to provide an optimum result), building a long-term business relationship in target markets, and an effective presentation to the clients. Presentation to the clients also involves good communication skills, which depends on how the works are presented and the manner of speaking in front of a single client or a stage. Hence, the importance of marketing in architectural firms could be summed up into a simple analogy. The projects make the firm alive, the clients produce projects, and marketing helps bring in clients. Consequently, marketing helps make the firm alive.