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By Eleanor Bowman,
Director of Marketing, BDX
Earlier this year, BDX parent company,
Builder Homesite (BHI), an Austin-based con-
sortium comprised of 32 of the nation’s larg-
est home builders, announced the launch of a
new initiative designed to positively influence
public perception of new construction homes.
The campaign is an industry-first, supporting
home construction as an entire industry and
uniting home builders nationwide.
The company has worked with advertising
agency GSD&M and public relations firm Edel-
man since February to develop a campaign fo-
cused on redefining the “new” in new home.
This multi-year, multi-million dollar campaign,
which officially launched in October, aims to
increase preference for new construction
homes among potential home buyers who
are comparing new and existing homes. The
campaign will include online advertising, viral
videos, and consumer promotions to support
the “new is better” message.
“We understand that consumers today face
a wealth of choices when it comes to buying a
home,” said Tim Costello, president and chief
executive officer of BDX/BHI. “New homes
offer many advantages for today’s modern
home buyer, however, many consumers sim-
ply aren’t aware of the benefits of new home
ownership. Our goal is to arm prospective
buyers with the tools needed to make an edu-
cated decision that best fits their needs and
lifestyle.”
research conducted by BDX and Hanley
Wood revealed that buyers shopping for a
home are most interested in lower cost of liv-
ing through lower maintenance, improved
energy efficiency, modern floor plans suited
for today’s family and superior construction
quality. On the Northwest coast in particular,
home buyers cited quality of construction,
safer neighborhoods and better floor plans
as top considerations when shopping for a
home. The importance placed on lower cost
per square foot was also higher in the North-
western United States than in most areas of
the country.
Hanley Wood’s research also indicated that
in the Northwestern United States, 50 percent
of home buyers prefer existing homes, 15
percent prefer new homes and 35 percent are
indifferent as to whether their home is new
or existing construction. This leaves a large
market of indifferent home buyers to tap into
to raise awareness of the advantages of new
homes. For instance, existing homes can be
outdated and unpredictable, requiring home
owners to make compromises which often
lead to costly repairs and maintenance. New
construction homes, on the other hand, are
move-in ready. With warranty-backed con-
struction, energy efficient technologies and
spacious f loor plans,
new homes allow home
owners to focus on their
“want-to-do list” instead
of their “must-do list.”
Costello has identified
several key trends for
home construction in
the coming year, which
are unattainable in an
existing home unless
you have the time and
budget for months of
extensive renovations.
For example, home buy-
ers now look for open
floor plans containing
“great rooms,” with the
kitchen, dining and
living rooms f lowing
together to meet the
needs of today’s family. Another important
consideration is a “mother-in-law” suite, with
a separate entryway and living space to allow
immediate family and the grandparent gen-
eration to live together comfortably. Other
sought after amenities include a pet station
in the mudroom complete with a low pet bath
and food drawers, and a communication hub
near the kitchen with outlets for the family to
charge their electronic devices. Family needs
have changed significantly over the past sev-
eral years, and home building has evolved to
meet the needs of today’s modern family.
“With the needs of today’s home buyer in
mind, builders have invested heavily in engi-
neering and technology in recent years. The
resulting home would be inconceivable just
10 years ago,” said Deborah Wahl Meyer, chief
marketing officer of PulteGroup. “Houses
being built today boast superior structural
soundness and durability, forward thinking
designs and unprecedented efficiency stan-
dards, making this an opportune time for the
industry to educate current and prospective
home shoppers.”
The past few years have been hard on the
home building industry, with new home sales
in 2011 reaching the lowest point on record
since the U.S. Census Bureau began keeping
statistics in 1963. This year has marked a new
year and a fresh start for the home building
industry though, with October figures from
the U.S. Census Bureau showing home starts
are up more than 41 percent from a year
ago, reaching an annual rate of 863,000. This
growth is reflected in home builders’ confi-
dence about the future of the home building
industry, which according to the NAHB/Wells
Fargo housing market index, is at its highest
level since 2007.
“The United States is emerging from a chal-
lenging economic period, and our indus-
try has certainly felt the blunt effects of the
broader economy,” said Kathi James, chief
marketing officer of Beazer Homes. “With
each market share point equaling $8 billion in
annual revenue, there is tremendous oppor-
tunity for growth as we seek to impact pro-
spective home buyers. Today’s new homes
offer the best in modern amenities, quality
craftsmanship and energy efficiency and, in
supporting this campaign, we look forward
to collectively showcasing the distinct fea-
tures that separate new homes from existing
homes.”
For more information about the campaign
or to get involved, please contact BDX at
info@the-bdx.com.
BDX launches multi-million dollar
industry initiative to help builders
promote new home advantages
Buyers in the Northwest cited quality of construction, safer neighborhoods
and better floor plans as most important when looking for a home.
By Gary Phillips, Gary’s Vacuflo
Announcing the 2013 NW Natural
Street of Dreams builders!
Things are already shaping up for one of the
best Street of Dreams in recent memory.
—See page 12
Networking,
networking,
networking
Networking – what is it all
about? Well, it starts with real-
izing that networking your busi-
ness is not the only way to mar-
ket your business. In my opinion,
it is just one of the pieces of the
marketing puzzle used by some
companies to create a cohesive
marketing plan and, in fact, may
not even be needed with some
types of businesses. I have found
it to be very helpful to be visible
in order to promote information
on what our company is all about
as well as to meet some really
interesting people that I would
never have had the opportunity
to meet any other way.
Of course, business owners
can’t join every organization out
there so a big part of having the
best networking opportunities
starts with joining the right as-
sociations or organizations that
include members that can be
influential with what services or
products you provide. So, try to
look closely at your target market
before joining any association to
make sure you will get the most
bang for the buck. From this
point on be consistent by going
to monthly luncheons or meet-
ings. Then consider joining a
committee or two. Ask others you
may know in the organization to
help you to meet the people that
could possibly use your services
or products. This includes meet-
ing key staff people in the organi-
zation including interacting with
them to get introduced around.
They can be very effective in
helping you to determine what
events and committees, as well
as sponsorship opportunities to
target as well.
I have always believed that to
receive you must first give. Show
others in the organization this by
your actions and with your re-
quests for help and advice. One
of the hardest things to do is to
walk up and introduce yourself to
someone you don’t know. Take
the risk and then find out what
they are all about before telling
your story. Be visible and try to
sit with people you don’t know
so you expand your horizons to
discover opportunities that you
never realized were there. Final-
ly, make it fun and you will see
personal growth as much, if not
more than, business growth!
Fried Turkey and PRO
Characters
The PrOs wrapped up a great
year with Frazier’s turkeys and
PrO awards.
—See page 14
Your
Business
BUILDING
BUSINESS TIPS • SALES/MARKETING • REMODELING • SUSTAINABILITY •
JANUARY, 2013
•
PAGE 11
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Preview of new home marketing trends BDX will present in Las Vegas at IBS
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