Pro-active PR makes more people aware of an architecture firm’s work, its people, and its practices. Julie’s 30+-year-career specializing solely in AEC and design communications has a foundational theme: getting architects proper credit for their work and acknowledgement of their contributions to thoughtfully creating better spaces and places. Exposure through thought leadership, media interviews, and project profiles are key elements in growth for architecture firms. This can also build submission portfolios when applying for accolades such as Fellowships at the American Institute of Architects, Royal Institute of British Architects, and other organisations that recognise the contributions architects make to their profession and society. In her presentation at the virtual event organised by Disrupt Symposium on 1-3 May 2023, Julie D. Taylor, Hon. AIA, elaborated on various aspects of Public Relations and how architects can expand their firms by implementing strategic communications campaigns.
Julie D. Taylor, Hon. AIA, is a design evangelist who has been a professional publicist, marketer, writer, critic, and editor since 1982. She established Taylor & Company in 1994 to provide Public Relations and Marketing services to professionals and organisations involved in architecture, design (interiors, landscape, graphics), architectural products, and furnishings. She was the 2014-2016 Public Director of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Board of Directors. In 2018, AIA granted Julie Honorary Membership for her exemplary service to the architecture profession.
Julie has promoted and written about architecture and design for more than three decades. One of her common themes is how architects are frequently overlooked and omitted from articles about their designs, failing to receive proper acknowledgement for their talents. Thus, Julie structures public relations and marketing communications to empower architects with a clear agenda: to elevate architects’ profiles and ensure they receive credit for their work.
“I have written letters to many outlets chiding them about not crediting the architect of the building they write about, asking if they would review a book without mentioning the author or talk about a painting without the artist.”
Julie D. Taylor, Hon. AIA
Business Development, Communication, and Public Relations
Business development centres on securing new projects. This calls for identifying potential clients and/or projects, engaging in networking and relationship-building, and effectively showcasing the firm's expertise and capabilities to win contracts or commissions. Taylor & Company expands its clients’ opportunities by raising awareness of the firms’ capabilities, personalities, and achievements. This generates leads for project opportunities and fosters long-term growth and success in the AEC industry.
Marketing communications are the self-generated vehicles that relay the work and people behind the firm: websites, e-blasts, brochures, graphics, social media, and advertising.
Taylor & Company specialises mostly in public relations (PR), emphasising thought leadership and effectively communicating to the public the architect’s vision and solutions to project challenges. This is predominantly achieved through earned media (implied third-party endorsements).
Components of Public Relations
Earned Media: Getting your work in front of the public by pitching stories to journalists and bloggers, expedited by building relationships with key media contacts. Stories can range from firm-wide profiles and project features to project news (entitlements, groundbreaking, topping out), company news (promotions, honors, charitable activities), and bylined articles stressing expertise.
Awards: Publicizing marquee projects and individual accomplishments through various design programs. Award wins and related recognition help distinguish architects from their peers.
Speaking: Speaking at events and conferences is an effective way to impart a firm’s message directly to its target audience. Examples of events where architects can market themselves include conferences concentrating on the business of architecture, real estate development, hospitality design, and school planning and operations. There’s probably a conference—or two—pertaining to every typology.
Events: Events are effective ways to promote a firm and generate interest in its projects and expertise. In-person events, such as hosting a local architects’ association continuing-education program or a developer/urbanism organisation’s mixer, are effective ways to develop deeper relationships with people. Similarly, inviting existing and potential clients and local media to an open house at the firm’s office or hospitality venue strengthens existing relationships and forges new ones. In today’s digital era, virtual events such as webinars have emerged as valuable platforms for engagement on even an international level, given widespread online accessibility.
Tours: This way of familiarising others with projects gives them tangible experiences. Various associations and publications arrange tours and programs that allow the organization’s members and/or the general public to experience projects first-hand and engage with their designers. By enabling peers and the public to physically immerse themselves, an architect can effectively showcase the essence and impact of the firm’s work.
Juries: Participating as an awards juror offers an opportunity to connect with industry leaders. Serving as a juror elevates an architect’s status, demonstrating that an awards organization trusts its jurors’ vision and judgement based on their career achievements. Jurorship also provides valuable insights into the awards selection process and offers an opportunity to network with talented peers in the process of evaluating entries. Programs that publicize their jurors through email marketing, social media, and profiles on their websites provide additional PR value.
PR and Architecture
Project Lifecycle: Although the lengthy timeline between project commission and building completion can be frustrating, one advantage is that the process offers numerous PR opportunities. Architects can announce their new commissions by posting renderings on their website and social-media channels, and by distributing news announcements to relevant media outlets. Each project has several milestones after its announcement: groundbreaking ceremonies (where media should be invited and the architect granted an opportunity to speak from the dais whenever possible), topping outs (again inviting media to the ceremony whenever feasible), and grand openings/ribbon-cuttings. A complex project might have innovative design solutions that offer additional angles for promoting the project and firm during construction. Awards wins can be publicized through both traditional and social media.
Further, some publications cover post-occupancy evaluations of certain projects, such as healthcare designs. Post-occupancy input from building owners and users can provide compelling insights for podcast interviews and blog posts to generate even more interest in a single project. Finally, media coverage and information gleaned during a project’s lifecycle can be used as marketing material.
Profiles: Each architecture firm has its origin story and narrative to share. Architects typically include this “about us” information on their websites. These narratives can often be used as a hook for the media to cover the firm’s expertise on topics such as post-pandemic working environments, leadership in a certain typology, and building company culture. Dynamic leadership, innovative breakthroughs, and major anniversaries, as well as the cumulative value of the firm’s work, can impel a profile.
People: The people in a firm play an important role in elevating the organisation’s public persona. Some publications write about the inspirations behind architects’ work. At the 2023 Disrupt Symposium, Julie shared an example from Relativity Architects. Tima Bell, the firm's co-founder, cited unparalleled inspiration from his mother as well as books, cooking, and even dancing for informing his approach to architectural design. These influences engender familiarity with a firm principal and provide a glimpse into the company’s culture via the personality of a principal.
Awards: Announcing award wins is an effective strategy for highlighting a project or individual accomplishments. Julie recommends applying to those awards programs that are sponsored by reputable associations and publications. A PR firm can help identify worthwhile programs and complete the applications. When an association or publication recognises a firm's achievement, it routinely circulates the news to its members, web visitors, and mailing list. However, the drawback to this approach is that the announcement is diluted with all award-winners. To ensure that an architect’s work receives the recognition it deserves, the firm should promote its honors separately in an announcement that focuses solely on the award-winning project or person.
Issues: Trending topics offer architects an opportunity to contribute to conversations affecting the industry and society at large. Equity, diversity, and justice is one example of a topic at the forefront of people’s minds. Media outlets often seek insightful opinions on these and other topical issues.
Ideas: Every architecture firm has ideas regarding the issues society faces and the impact design can have on them. One example is post-pandemic design solutions for schools, workplaces, and healthcare. These concepts can also be entered in various “ideas” competitions as another way to promote a firm’s expertise.
The Significance of PR and Marketing in Architectural Practice
Business Development: PR’s ultimate function is to promote a company’s growth and/or raise a person’s profile through enhanced visibility, thereby supporting business development efforts. Julie illustrated this with Interior Design magazine’s coverage of trendy clothing line Fear of God’s fashion showroom by Relativity Architects. Shortly after the story was published, Relativity Architects was contacted by a high-profile tech titan, commissioning the firm to create an office/studio—solidifying a direct correlation between PR and business development. Similarly, trade publications can be effective for typology-focused niche business areas. For example, in the U.S. Urban Land magazine is one publication that is widely read by real estate developers.
Exposure: Julie reinforced how her firm’s efforts are rooted in one single sentiment: ensuring that architects receive recognition for their work. Exposure through bylined articles in trade publications or op-ed submissions to newspapers (all often drafted or ghostwritten by PR professionals) as well as participating in media interviews and speaking at industry events can build an architect’s public and professional profile. This media exposure can then be used to bolster submissions for Fellowship at the American Institute of Architects and Royal Institute of British Architects and recognitions from other organisations that honor architects’ accomplishments.
Peers: Again, participating in awards juries and industry seminars, design review panels, and presentations demonstrates commitment to the industry. This dedication and passion attracts peers who might become valued collaborators and other professionals who might be future clients or project partners.
Recruitment: PR and marketing play a vital role in recruiting new talent to build a strong team. Traditional and social media exposure ideally presents the firm as a great place to work.
Where can we implement PR for our Brand?
National Journals and Newspapers: Examples of U.S. publications with large, national audiences include The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.
Design-Oriented Outlets Targeting Consumers: These publications, such as Architectural Digest, Dwell, and Wallpaper*, focus on the design ideas from finished projects—particularly architecture, interior design, and landscapes.
AEC-Oriented Trade Publications: These outlets target working professionals in AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction). They highlight trends, outstanding projects, and business solutions that improve firm profitability. U.S.-based examples include The Architect’s Newspaper, Architectural Record, and Building Design + Construction.
International Publications: In a global economy, where business is increasingly done remotely, don’t overlook potential opportunities in publications located on other continents and published in other languages. Most countries have lifestyle publications that are receptive to inspiring architecture from overseas. One example of an international publication focused on architectural excellence is The Plan (Italy).
Business Publications: Business publications—whether focused on local economies and companies, topics of national interest (such as Inc. and Fast Company in the U.S.), or global websites that share tips from business leaders—are valuable ways for firms to reach decision-makers who hire architects. Stories addressed to national business media should focus on solutions to wide-ranging challenges as well as innovative processes. For local business media, pitches can include firm milestones such as an anniversary, recent awards (plus entering business journals’ awards programs), and new hires/promotions, particularly for people in leadership positions. Some publications now consider personnel announcements paid advertising space, often worth the investment in publications read by potential clients. Events and panels attached to business publications are another viable business-development strategy. These build thought leadership by sharing business acumen and provide valuable networking with business leaders from other industries. Submitting personnel news to staff’s alumni publications’ “class notes” sections is another way to reach people who might need architects’ services, plus potentially lead to a feature profile in those outlets.
Firm-Directed Publications: These sites involve creating a profile for the firm and uploading project galleries. These are ideal outlets for showing older projects, and can help a firm’s SEO. Many of these publications also have prestigious awards programs. Architizer is one example.
Commercial Real Estate (CRE): Commercial real estate developers, property managers, and brokers hire architects and interior designers. CRE publications are often receptive to pitches on how design solutions can expedite entitlement, increase occupancy, and other factors that boost profitability. Further, many of these outlets have awards programs.
Broadcast: TV and radio can be effective for reaching potential clients and staff. Local programs are often receptive to pitches centered on milestones for significant projects: museums, sports facilities, hospitals, and the like. High-profile projects and innovations are viable for national-show pitching.
Podcast: The modern extension of the radio program, podcasts’ popularity surged during the pandemic. Although the quantity and frequency of shows has declined slightly, podcasts continue to offer architects numerous outlets for sharing thought-leadership, innovative design solutions, emerging trends, workplace/professional practice strategies, technology in practice, continuing education, and more. Podcast interview transcriptions can often be recast as bylined articles for industry journals and blog posts. Interview sound bites can be clipped for social media to drive audiences to the full interview.
Social Media: Social media platforms are an effective way to reach prospective clients. To develop and expand audiences, consistent posting and quality content are both paramount. If you want to use the same content across all your channels, remember that content should be customized for each platform: business-development items such as new commissions and award wins for LinkedIn, and beautiful visuals for Instagram as two examples. Although Facebook’s popularity is declining, many decision-makers are still active on the platform.
Further, video content receives roughly 30% more engagement than static images. Maintaining a YouTube channel to host video content is advantageous for SEO; YouTube is the second-largest search engine behind Google. Liking, sharing, and commenting and others’ posts are three time-proven ways to expand a firm’s audience reach.
Aggressive PR and marketing initiatives help architects become more visible. When architects use PR and marketing strategically, they can grow their firms through elevated prestige and influence in the industry.
