Photo courtesy of online.wsj.com

For the past few years, Americans have kept a close eye on the housing market. With a struggling economy, there hasn’t been much about which to get excited, until now.

Since we specialize, in part, in PR for architects, home builders, construction and design-build companies, and related industry product manufacturers, we wanted to share how a trifecta of positive developments has created a surge in confidence for U.S. home builders and various others in the field.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo recently released its June index of builder sentiment, showing homebuilders’ confidence has reached the highest level in seven years, according to an article on Bloomberg.com. Reports also showed builder sentiment rose by 8 points to 52, the biggest monthly increase since September 2002.

The confidence survey asked U.S. homebuilders to characterize sales as good, fair or poor, gauge prospective buyers’ traffic, and assess the six-month outlook. All three components of the survey climbed to the highest levels since March 2006.

So what has caused homebuilders’ surge in confidence? Builders including PulteGroup Inc. and Lennar Corp. credit it to a trifecta of low mortgage rates, a strengthening job market and limited inventories. Bloomberg.com even reports the positive forecast is creating optimism among manufacturers. Texas-based Lennox International Inc. (LII), a maker of furnaces and air conditioners, is one company to benefit from the recovering market. Joseph Reitmeier, chief financial officer of LII, was even confident enough to tell Bloomberg.com it’s a good thing to be tied closely to the housing market.

“Over the last few years, it’s been tough to say that being in a business or an industry that tied closely to housing is a good thing,” Reitmeier said. “We can actually say that now.”

Fans and friends, if your job relates to the housing market and building industry, we want to know what you think. Have you seen an improvement in business growth? And, what do you think are other contributing factors to the increase in builders and manufacturers’ confidence? Provide feedback in our comments section below.

To read the entire article on Bloomberg.com and review the results of the home builder’s confidence survey, click here. 

NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors. From June 10-12, 2013, at the Chicago Merchandise Mart, managed by our client Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., more than 40,000 architecture and design professionals will have the opportunity to view thousands of new products and resources for corporate, hospitality, healthcare, retail, government, institutional, and residential interiors. In addition, show-goers will have a chance to network with fellow industry professionals at showroom parties, attend top-notch keynote presentations and nearly 100 CEU-accredited seminars and much more.

Nearly 700 of the world’s top manufacturers, including 3M Architectural Markets, Herman Miller, IKEA, La-Z-Boy Contract Furniture, Steelcase, Inc., and The Sherwin Williams Company, will be exhibiting at NeoCon. New products such as commercial space furniture, lighting, building products and services, casegoods, wall treatments, files and storage products, etc. will be on display.

And, since our firm specializes in public / media relations for commercial building and design industries, we are eager to learn about new and evolving trends that arise from the show. As an example, Interior Design magazine has already uncovered one cool new trend, office seating with tablet work surfaces. This trend creates a comfortable work space, which can ultimately help increase productivity.

New for 2013, NeoCon is the first trade show to feature “The Outdoor Office,” an innovative exhibit developed by Jonathan Olivares, which was most recently on display at the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. According to a press release sent out by the show’s marketing team, as working habits change and mobile devices allow the freedom to work outside the traditional office, “The Outdoor Office” was developed with the goal of understanding the possibility of new types of work spaces located outdoors.

Several casual furniture showrooms have opened their doors for NeoCon attendees, including JANUS et Cie, Mallin Casual Furniture, NorthCape International, Barlow Tyrie, Inc., and Poly-Wood, Inc. These showrooms will also be displaying new outdoor furniture and accessories at the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market in September.

For more information about NeoCon, visit the show’s website at www.neocon.com. And, for those of you attending the show, let us know which product trends capture your attention!

Over the last year, Pinterest has blossomed into a worldwide social network. Establishing itself as a popular niche among social media channels, this evolving photo-sharing forum has caught the attention of millions of users. The question is, what is Pinterest, and how can it help you establish brand awareness among current and potential customers?

For starters, here’s the 411 on Pinterest. This social networking site is designed to allow users to share photos in an infinite number of categories from across the Web. Topics range from favorite home furnishing accessories and fashion trends to gardening ideas and delicious recipes. The possibilities are endless, and photo categories can be easily customized per industry and product type. The key is to know which photos to post to achieve the most impact and interest, and how to write descriptive captions for effective brand building.

Here are five practical tips to manage and maintain a company’s Pinterest account as part of a successful social media marketing platform. 

Meaningful, Pinnable Content

As you use Pinterest for business purposes, create meaningful boards that reflect your company as well as other industry-related and appealing products, services and information. “Pin” different types of images including photos, videos, infographics and text that will keep your followers better engaged. The ultimate goal is to make Pinterest users or “pinners” want to click on your photos and “re-pin” them on their own Pinterest boards.

With this being said, many marketers believe that humanizing your company and brand is important and gives you an edge over the competition. Customers are attracted to the driving forces behind companies, so also create boards that showcase all levels of your company’s personnel to give followers an inside look at the team. By sharing this kind of information, you have the ability to relate to prospective customers on a deeper and more personal level.

Clear, Concise Captions

Since you are using Pinterest for marketing, it is important to include clear, concise photo captions for each pinned photo. This will help your company’s Pinterest followers know what message is being portrayed in the image. Keep in mind Pinterest has a 500-character limit for each photo caption. To ensure your followers stay engaged and interactive, use the minimum amount needed to properly and interestingly describe your image within context.

Also, Pinterest allows users to re-pin (or re-post) photos from other users. If one of your Pinterest followers re-pins an image you posted, the original image caption will likely be edited to their liking. To help prevent losing the meaning of a particular image, consider using Photoshop to include a text box directly on the photo. Just maintain a high level of design style with everything you pin.

Contributing, Competitors and Socialization

A common struggle for business owners and managers is committing the time and energy it takes to maintain a social media presence. By creating contributor boards, businesses will gain followers, increase interaction and boost company exposure by doing half the work.

The concept is simple. Invite someone to be a contributor to one or more boards. Once they accept, their pins will transfer onto the boards, thus, providing a wider range of pins to keep audiences consistently engaged.

The fundamental exercise regarding contributor boards is adding pinners with audiences similar to your own. Competing businesses will have access to customers and users who are interested in similar services and products, which means they might have interest in yours, too. Pinterest users who follow your competitors’ boards will most likely follow yours in return. By working together as contributors, both companies’ chances for exposure doubles and growth rates are expedited. If interfacing with competitors on Pinterest sounds like a bad idea to you, keep one thing top of mind; social media is only truly social if you maximize all possible connections – including interactions with others working in your field or area of expertise. 

Protocol, Decorum and Consistency

To keep boards updated with dynamic and attention-drawing content, sign up for e-newsletters from trade and consumer-based publications relevant to your industry. E-newsletters are visual and deliver up-to-date information and photos. Their content can provide pin-worthy material or spark ideas for creative posts. That’s right; not all photos should be pinned from your own website. Pins should derive from many online sources.

Create open lines of communication between you and your Pinterest fans. When pinning, make sure to include captions that encourage users to comment or share your photos. When fans comment on your boards, you will want to acknowledge the interaction and thank them. The same rule applies when fans re-pin a photo or board. Either post a comment or return the favor by re-pining one of their photos or boards. It all comes down to practicing respectful social media etiquette.

Some Serious SEO

On Pinterest, it is important to keep Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind when creating a pin. Set up your pins to be noticed by using eye-catching captions, keywords, hashtags, and urls (see example below). If you want to increase the traffic to your website, blog or other social media sites, try pinning original images and content from these sites at times. Think in terms of incoming and outgoing traffic when creating a pin. You can benefit from choosing pins that will entice people, and thereby cause them to click on the link that takes them to your other websites.

It is also a good idea to add the “Pin It” button to your website or blog so when people are on these sites, they can easily pin your content and photos to their own boards, which helps increase SEO for your company. 

Pinterest, A Force Worth Reckoning With

As PR practitioners it’s our job to stay on top of the latest social media trends. We consider it our job to know how Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites play into brand building and marketing, and how it will affect our client’s overall business strategy. Since 2011 Pinterest has demanded the world’s attention. Studies conducted by social media experts have confirmed that Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing social networking sites available. A study administered by analyst comScore stated Pinterest has grown by 4,377% since May 2011, a remarkable statistic to fathom. If you haven’t already now is the time to take advantage of what Pinterest has to offer. Needless to say, it’s time to start Pinning!

If your company is looking to include social media as part of your marketing plan and needs assistance, our team is happy to help. Learn more about our social media services and how we can help build your brand by clicking here.

The possibilities seem endless with Terra Nova Nurseries’ Heuchera Little Cuties™ series! A result of breeding excellence by the company’s plant gurus, all seven varieties have compact, ever-blooming habits ideal for a variety of plant combinations and garden or landscape designs.

Capitalizing on the series’ striking features and range of attributes, our branding aficionados here at ECPR created a press campaign about the varieties that had media representatives and attendees buzzing at the 2013 California Spring Trials.

One of the media interviews we secured and pre-scheduled for our client was with the editors of Greenhouse Management. The editors got the on-site scoop from Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development at Terra Nova Nurseries, and produced a video that is well on its way to being viral. The interview included several means of communicating information about the Cuties series to their readers and followers.

Whether you are a professional horticulturist, grower, retailer, landscape designer, or simply have a love of all things living, little and cute, check out the video below and get your “green” on!

The Heuchera Little Cuties™ series consists of seven varieties, including Heuchera ‘Blondie’, Heuchera ‘Coco’, Heuchera ‘Frost’, Heuchera ‘Ginger Snap’, Heuchera Peppermint’, Heuchera ‘Sugar Berry’, and Heuchera ‘Sweet Tart’.

Growers, wholesalers, re-wholesalers, retailers, landscape professionals, and home gardeners can learn more about these varieties by viewing the plant profile pages at www.terranovanurseries.com.

If you’re interested in learning more about Terra Nova Nurseries’ varieties that are bred for indoor and outdoor success, check out Greenhouse Management’s recent article on great indoor varieties; this includes features on the company’s Heuchera Little Cuties™ series and Begonia Cocoa™ series.

Our team, at Eberly & Collard Public Relations, unifies years of experience with a mix of expertise and skills across 11 industry sectors, one of which is interior design. On our blog and in near-countless published trade and consumer / mainstream publications each year, we byline articles and narratives to feature eye-catching residential and commercial design projects. One such project warrants recognition at the talented hands of the team at Koncept Design Studio.

Photo courtesy of Koncept Design Studio

Furniture in the deep- and wide-seating style was chosen and then placed to imbue settings that could be used by residents for multiple purposes- from group conversation and parties with invited guests to reading alone in a chair upholstered with carefully chosen plush fabric. One area was designed for watching television on a state-of-the-art big screen flanked by easy-chairs for viewers.

The clubhouse was given a grounded sense of place with a stacked shaped tile in a coco color, featuring area rugs boasting a juxtaposition of zig-zag motifs in corresponding browns, tans, creams, and pale yellows. To top off and highlight the room, Koncept Design Studio hung a breath-taking pendant chandelier showcasing the trendy spider-leg style hanging lights.

Koncept Design Studio worked closely with Lennar’s architects to enhance the clubhouse’s overall layout of space for design, function and execution. Team members across the companies worked efficiently and coordinated all aspects of communication, scheduling and delivery to ensure deadlines were met. An essential key to the project’s success also included the internal collaboration among Koncept Design Studio’s creative and interiors team. In-house partnerships were established to share insight on the clubhouse’s color scheme and overall design. This also allowed the company’s promotional experts to brand the community in line with the interiors.

True to the same color palette for the interior design deliverables, Koncept Design Studio’s celebrated creative team executed a range of print collateral and digital materials to reflect the interiors and overall ambience of the new community. The company created a colorful, information-filled brochure as a hand-out for potential residents and a website to provide an online glimpse of the apartment home floor plans, a photo gallery and local amenities. Staying “on brand,” as we like to say at ECPR, they also produced a two-minute video for the new apartment community to yield a truly interactive experience online.

Photo courtesy of OaksatJohnsCreek.com

Serving as an industry leader in branding for almost 20 years, Koncept Design Studio has offered the addition of interior design services for the commercial sector since 2009. With interactive, creative, interior, and promotional studios, the company’s portfolio expands across nearly every genre of design work. Flawlessly executed branding campaigns and innovative interiors have earned Koncept Design Studio national recognition and several accolades. The company’s ability to assist and guide its clients through both the design and branding process is a unique trait, one our own publicity team can both appreciate and applaud.

The Oaks at Johns Creek apartment homes are a great example of building, commercial interior design and marketing collaboration. Apartments are now available to lease, and interested tenants can learn more about the community and its amenities by visiting: www.oaksatjohnscreek.com.

Mary McDonald & Martyn Lawrence Bullard Photo courtesy of Dwell magazine

As public relations practitioners, it is our role to establish and strengthen media relationships, stay abreast of the latest social media trends, and help our clients improve upon their branding techniques and publicity strategies. One way to keep the creative ideas flowing for our team as well as for clients is staying on top of activities, events and seminars within our 11 industry sectors.

Last week, our team members were fortunate enough to attend one of DESIGN ADAC’s keynote presentations, “Building your Brand as an Interior Designer,” which featured VERANDA editor-in-chief Dara Caponigro and celebrated designers Mary McDonald and Martyn Lawrence Bullard.

Caponigro moderated for McDonald and Bullard, who unveiled how they entered the world of design as well as shared the ways in which they uncovered the secrets to building, maintaining and growing successful brands.

Given our more-than-decade-long experience managing branding and public relations for designers (among others) here at ECPR, we enjoyed hearing them refer to “being published” as an essential business function for designers to achieve success.

Photo courtesy of MaryMcDonaldInc.com

Two of our team members, Dominique de Bruin and Katherine Merkel, reflect in this blog post on the event’s topic and how it translates to the services ECPR offers its own clients.

Katherine’s Observations…McDonald and Bullard honored a room of design enthusiasts with a glimpse into their back-stories and how they’ve continued to grow their talents into highly marketable services and product lines around the world. As a PR practitioner, I was especially intrigued to learn which branding techniques they feel are essential for designers.

Aside from their natural ability and unwavering devotion to all things related to high-end style, McDonald and Bullard admitted they got their starts in the industry by a series of positive happenings, perhaps even some being coincidences. Clearly, we would say, their magnanimous personalities, hard work, and impressive design talent had something to do with their successes. Designers and PR strategists alike, we all know that only with the combination of experience and diligence it is possible to earn a renowned presence in the design field. Undoubtedly, it takes immense amounts of work.

Ringing true in my mind, the panelists agreed a major factor in their success was having their design work published. According to McDonald, one of the best ways to break onto the design scene is to decorate your own home and strive for it to be published. I found this comment to be spot-on; we work with editors and bloggers all the time to cover designer-clients’ homes. It is one of the most published types of content in home, design and shelter publications, both in print and online.

Individually, each designer reflected on the importance and benefits that come with a published design feature. McDonald was quick to point out that if a designer’s work is good it will be published, and once it’s out there people will call. However, once the job requests start flowing in, Bullard made sure to stress the significance of strategically accepting and declining jobs to boost one’s career.

At that point Bullard and McDonald offered guests what I thought was the best branding advice a designer can have. “It’s not what you accept, it’s what you turn down,” said Bullard. “You need to find the jobs that pay and the ones that move your career forward,” McDonald added. “To make a business grow you have to find better jobs, not necessarily bigger ones.”

~ Katherine

Photo courtesy of MartynLawrenceBullard.com

From Dominique…Using humor and wit, McDonald and Bullard captivated their audience, me included, with fun anecdotes whilst revealing their best-kept secrets for brand awareness. Most known for their roles on the Bravo TV hit “Million Dollar Decorators,” McDonald and Bullard are two of the industry’s most successful interior designers. With A-List clients and celebrity status, these two designers do not shy away from success, they embrace it.

This brings me to one of the aspects I found most interesting during the brand building session. It wasn’t until McDonald and Bullard reached stardom that they grasped the importance of outsourcing public relations services. Both were adamant that without the help of PR practitioners at this point in their careers, they simply would not have time to secure opportunities to have their design projects published in magazines. They also stressed the role of PR service-providers as being key in attaining certain speaking engagements or connections around the globe. They noted, as a designer, your design work is first and foremost the main priority.

McDonald and Bullard are incredible case-studies that showcase the power of publicity. Their career paths to achieve star status were dotted with print, online and on-air coverage of their expertise and design installations.

For most designers, star status or simply becoming well-known most often occurs by way of a diverse design portfolio combined with an ongoing professional public relations plan. Budgets may be tight in today’s economy, but the importance of getting your company’s name and projects consistently in front of potential clients is worth the return on investment.

Our goal at ECPR is to help our clients convey company and product collection or design service information in the ways in which their important audience members (their clients, media contacts and others) want and need to receive it. For more information about ECPR’s public relations services, visit our firm’s website at www.eberlycollardpr.com. Contact us with your comments and questions.

~ Dominique

Dara Capinigro, Editor-in-Chief VERANDA magazine Photos courtesy of VERANDA.com

Our thanks to ADAC and VERANDA for planning one of the best design engagements of the year, and our gratitude to McDonald and Bullard for sharing their insights with those of us who were fortunate enough to attend.

The ultra-thin FLEXiT Light by STRIKER® will be showcased at the National Hardware Show this week in Las Vegas. A hands free, flexible, LED, task light, FLEXiT allows an unlimited amount of light projections. Thanks to its durable Shape-Loc™ frame, consumers can easily bend, fold, wrap, stick, or hook the product on or around objects to create a focused spot or broad flood of light.

3M is bringing the latest technology in wall repair to this year’s National Hardware Show, which kicks off tomorrow. 3M™ Patch Plus Primer will make its NHS debut as the only product on the market that uses nanotechnology to create a quick-drying, strong, even patch in just one easy step. Designed with pro-painters and DIYers in mind, this product creates an easier prep-process that addresses common challenges when patching a wall; such as shrinking, cracking and changes in paint sheen.

Featuring all the benefits of a lightweight spackling with the strength of a heavyweight spackling, 3M Patch Plus Primer delivers strong repairs up to three times faster than other products. Advanced acrylic resins offer great paint anchoring and the specially engineered fillers pack together to resist shrinking and provide strength. For optimal performance, this primer should be used on drywall, plaster, wood, stucco, and concrete surfaces.

The KitchenAid® Deluxe Stainless Steel Gas Grill will be heating things up at the National Hardware Show this week. Nexgrill Industries, Inc. will be showcasing the KitchenAid Grill and its exclusive Even-Heat™ Technology. With stainless steel burners, angled porcelain flame tamers and enhanced grates working together to distribute consistent heat across the entire grill surface, this product offers consumers grilling at its best!

Equipped with 52,000 BTU’s, five 304 stainless steel main burners that individually ignite with push and turn electronic automatic ignition and a total grilling surface of 696.8 square inches, this grill leaves others in envy. On top of a phenomenal cooking performance, its heavy duty 304 stainless steel wrapped cooking grids makes cleaning up a breeze. The KitchenAid Grill is built with the industry’s highest corrosion-resistant materials. Its 32-inch firebox is constructed with porcelain-coated steel and comes with a dual-walled stainless steel main lid that insulates heat during cooking. A deluxe temperature gauge sits atop the main lid to easily maintain and adjust cooking temperatures. For added convenience, the fuel supply can be converted from liquid propane gas to natural gas with a natural gas conversion kit.

The KitchenAid Grill will be a top item at NHS 2013. Its extreme durability and reliable 10-year warranty on the 304 stainless steel burners will have everyone talking. It’s safe to say this product will keep consumers grilling in style for many years to come!

To learn more about the KitchenAid Grill visit the company’s website at www.kitchenaid.com.

Revolutionizing indoor footwear is the innovative alternative to socks and slippers, Nufoot. Appearing next week at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, the protective footwear is a patented design that contains anti-microbial and is water-resistant. With skid-resistant soles, they are the perfect footwear to use while cleaning hardwood floors or taking a shower. Nufoot also offers a more durable, sanitary alternative to traditional patient socks and are worth packing in the overnight bag before a hospital stay.

Sleek and durable, Nufoot is made of a four-way stretch material that is available in both adult and children sizes. The product is accommodating to all shapes of feet, providing unparalleled comfort while retaining moisture to relieve cracked skin and heels.