Get architects into the mix at the conceptual outset of any project; architects add value to homes, schools, hospitals, government buildings, commercial development, and communities overall; and AIA membership is a crucial credential. These are the messages that the radio and magazine advertising will take to the public beginning September 16.

Aimed at decision makers in carefully targeted market segments, the advertising campaign motivates clients always to involve AIA-member architects early—starting well before conceptual design and lasting through building occupancy and operation. The core message: A relationship with an AIA-member architect from the very beginning of any built-environment discussion will help home owners and business people achieve their objectives in ways they might never have expected.

Local radio nationwide
The primary vehicle for delivering the AIA message is through national radio networks, which provide national and business news programs to local radio stations across the country. Familiar examples include CNN Radio News, The Wall Street Journal Report, MarketWatch, Charles Osgood, and the regular hourly network news. (Politically charged and controversial programs have been excluded from this campaign.) Over the next 15 months, the airwaves will be saturated via 7,000 to 8,000 radio stations broadcasting the 700 to 800 network-delivered advertisements of 30 or 60 seconds each.

The six separate ad spots—five at half a minute and one a minute long—are ready to go. And the voice of the AIA for this campaign is none other than Allison Janney, better known as National Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on the hit NBC show The West Wing. The 60-second ad concentrates on the core message, "always call your architect early." The five 30-second spots have the same core message and concentrate on a target segment: health care, education, commercial development, government, and residential. Each of these five well-written and -delivered vignettes are based on actual AIA-member experiences.

The first 8-week segment of the radio ad campaign runs from September 16 to November 10, with a 4-week segment wrapping up the holiday season December 2–22. The campaign continues in 2003 until October 26.

Watch the magazines, too
Augmenting the radio ad campaign will be magazine ads running from October 2002 to December 2003. Concentrating on market-specific professional, institutional, and trade magazines and tied conceptually to the radio ads, the magazine advertisements convey personal connectivity through the simple visual of the legs and feet of people obviously relating face-to-face.

In the government market segment are American City & County, Governing Magazine, and U.S. Mayor. Ads will reach health-care clients through Modern Healthcare and Nursing Homes; commercial developers through Architectural Record, Commercial Property News, National Real Estate Investor, and Urban Land; educators through American School and University and American School Board Journal; and residential developers through Multi-Family Trends, Builder, and Professional Builder.

Each market segment has its own ad with copy and visuals drawn from the working context of a specific target market.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.