| Have any builders actually achieved brand status? | | | | Gestalt, a term derived from the field of Psychology |
| What brands exist in the new home marketing | | | | that refers to the concept that a configuration or |
| environment? How about high-tech, building green, | | | | pattern of elements (in this case different memories) |
| affordable homes, senior-buyer-ready homes, | | | | are so unified as a whole that its properties cannot |
| X-generation homes, concrete, log, etc.? There are | | | | be derived from a simple summation of its parts. |
| builders throughout the country that build what could | | | | Our brain involuntarily remembers everything our |
| be defined as green homes, but I know of no builder | | | | senses experience. These 'memories' are then |
| that has captured the brand: green builder. Xerox on | | | | chemically stored in a complex series of neurons. |
| the other hand, so owns the copying brand that we | | | | Your brain is made up of 10,000,000,000 neurons. |
| refer to them as xerox copies. | | | | That's a lot. Any given memory, when triggered, |
| Who owns the brand for the soft paper | | | | activates a certain number of these neurons that are |
| nose-blowers we refer to as either Tissues (Tissue | | | | associated with that memory. That group of neurons |
| Brand) or Kleenexes (Kleenex Brand)? The 'green' | | | | is referred to as a Gestalt. A brand is a Gestalt of |
| market is so wide open at the present that the | | | | sorts. |
| NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders) has | | | | For example, when I say the words |
| created their own set of standards called the National | | | | 'environmentally-friendly builder,' if you are an |
| Green Building Standards(TM) to clarify exactly what | | | | environmentalist and advocate environmentally |
| it means to claim the title "green builder." Many | | | | responsible building, you immediately have a series of |
| builders use high-tech products, but I know of no | | | | memories and thoughts that are involuntarily |
| builder, in any market, who owns the brand: high-tech | | | | triggered by those words. The words trigger more |
| builder. | | | | memory because they also elicit an emotion. If there |
| I believe there are several reasons. The most | | | | were a builder who owned the brand 'environmental |
| obvious is that building homes is largely a regional | | | | builder,' that builder would likely enter your mind |
| marketing endeavor; often limited to a state or | | | | immediately. |
| countywide area. Even though the builder may be | | | | Like when I say safe vehicles, you most likely think |
| national like Lennar, Pulte, and Centex; most of their | | | | of Volvo, but are they really the safest or do they |
| marketing is the result of local advertising and | | | | simply say they are the most. The more you think |
| marketing, not national. Few builders have tried | | | | about 'environmentally-friendly builder,' the more |
| national marketing and even fewer have succeeded. | | | | memories you recall. That group of memories would |
| How often do you ever see a builder television | | | | be your gestalt of memories related to |
| commercial targeting a national audience? You don't, | | | | environmentally responsible building. Now if I say the |
| with the exception of a name recognition campaign, | | | | words concrete homebuilder, fewer memories come |
| new home marketing is most effective locally. Can | | | | to mind since the term is more neutral and doesn't |
| you even name five of the top ten builders? I bet | | | | generate as much emotion. Note your thoughts when |
| you can't. According to BuilderOnline, for 2006, the | | | | I say the word thug. You immediately and |
| top five builders based on closings were D.R. Horton, | | | | involuntarily begin picturing and compiling your image |
| Lennar Corp., Pulte Homes, Centex Corp., and KB | | | | of a thug. What about animal cruelty? Does Michael |
| Home. Do you even know who KB Home is? | | | | Vick come to mind immediately? Therein lies the |
| Is your company's name a brand? | | | | power of brand ownership. |
| Builders fall into the trap of believing that their name | | | | The most powerful use of true branding is to create |
| is a brand, but at best, their name may trigger a | | | | and own a new market category. I know of no |
| brand memory. Brands are more memorable because | | | | builders that actually own a category - and therefore, |
| the brain treats them differently than company | | | | own a brand. Coke owns the cola brand. FedEx owns |
| names. According to a book entitled The Mental | | | | the overnight shipping brand. Godiva owns the gift |
| World of Brands by Professor Giep Franzen and | | | | chocolate brand. Does any builder have the right to |
| Margot Bouman (1999), "the brand exists as a neural | | | | claim the green brand or any other brand for that |
| network of memories" that are activated by a brand | | | | matter? |
| name. This network is sometimes referred to as a | | | | |