CLIENT PROFILE
For 100 years, Homasote’s structural fiberboards made from 98 percent recycled materials have been unique in the North American construction industry. The company’s strongest markets are commercial, multi-family residential and institutional (educational, healthcare) buildings using Homasote boards as moisture- and mold-resistant, sound control barriers in wall and floor construction. Homasote products’ recycled composition has also found strong acceptance in the rapidly emerging green building market.
CHALLENGE
Sound control is a major construction industry issue due to increasingly stricter building code requirements and litigation against builders/owners for inadequate sound mitigation. Homasote has widespread name recognition in the industry due to its longevity as a century-old manufacturer, but lacked nominal market penetration beyond several established regional markets. Though its recycled products were primed for market expansion in an environmentally-focused era, Homasote’s brand was unfocused and suffered from inconsistent marketing.
SOLUTION
Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA) developed a marketing plan based on a CMA Marketecture™ strategic analysis session with Homasote management as well as additional market research including a nationwide electronic survey of architects and general contractors, the primary target audiences.
Logo/Brand Identity
A new, contemporary corporate logo and brand design were created and carried through all of the company’s print and digital marketing communications. An earth image and a leaf with beaded droplets of water form the “O” in Homasote, reflecting the company’s moisture control and earth-friendly product benefits.
Re-Positioning/Messaging
In terms of price, Homasote boards were mid-market. The client had long been in a war it could never win against low-cost commodity products like plywood, over which it had undeniable advantages. CMA re-positioned the company as the “premium performance alternative” to higher priced competitors—in other words, a position at the bottom of the top market as opposed to the top of the bottom. Strong brand messaging was developed to drive a marketing campaign leveraging Homasote’s differentiated status as the nation’s leading manufacturer of recycled building products, with superior and independently tested sound control attributes.
Print Advertising
Print advertising in architectural, construction and green building trade media positioned Homasote boards as the solution to the number one and number two sources of construction lawsuits—inadequate sound control and mold.
Corporate and Product Brochures
A new corporate capabilities brochure covering all Homasote products, which also include decorative tackable wallboards, roof decking and industrial packaging, was created with an inside back cover pocket to hold individual product sell sheets and brochures dedicated to specific target markets (hospitality, healthcare, etc).
Public Relations/e-Newsletter
Homasote backs up all product claims with ongoing third-party testing and certification for sound/moisture control and environmental sustainability, but had not effectively leveraged the impressive results of this differentiating commitment. CMA PR focused on communicating test results to the industry as well as creating a steady stream of Homasote case studies for placement in construction and architectural trade media. A bi-monthly e-newsletter, Homasote On Board, updated clients and prospects on products, projects, independent testing and success stories.
RESULTS
CMA has strategically overhauled Homasote’s brand identity to power its marketing direction into the company’s second century, an effort which has generated much enthusiasm within the company’s sales team. A venerated yet listless brand has been rejuvenated into a contemporary, design- and message-compatible family of brand-focused sales and corporate communications, resulting in a transformational impact in the marketplace and on the company’s bottom line.
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