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Resources We Love

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Home Intel Editors Share Our Favorite Magazines, Blogs, Websites and TV Shows

At Home Intel headquarters, our GoogleReaders and RSS feeds are always busting at the seams with new posts and updates from our favorite blogs and websites.  There are so many great information sources available for home and green design, we find our lists growing everyday. 

We think a good resource should provide a variety of information on different topics – whether it’s the newest trends, appliances and product overviews, DIY project ideas or just some beautiful, inspiring photos.

Here’s a quick core sample of some of our favorite resources.

Magazines:  We know a magazine is great when it makes us read it like a book – cover to cover.  We are just thankful these publications have websites we can check for updates between issues.

Blogs:  What makes a design blog great? At Home Intel, we look for blogs with bite-sized posts that provide the right photos, links and lists.  These give us quick but powerful hits of inspiration that we couldn’t mark “read later” if we tried.

Websites: Our favorite websites have organized layouts.  These sites have enough content to keep us lost for days, but we love them because they are so easy to navigate.

TV:  We tried to narrow it down, but it’s just impossible.  We love everything about HGTV and Planet Green.

What are your favorite resources?  Let us know if you think there’s something we’ve missed!

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Posted in Features, Green, Lists, Marketing, New Products | 1 Comment »

Green Roundup: Stats on Consumers & Green

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Complements of Teacher to Teacher

Complements of Teacher to Teacher

The team is constantly pulling stats on green product penetration in consumer spending habits. Because it’s the numbers that always get people thinking, we thought we’d put together a little roundup of stats from all across the internet that made us stop and say, “Wow, there’s progress.”

  • In a phone survey of 1,000 consumers, 50% said they purchased just as many green products as they did before the economy went into decline. 19% say they are buying even more. (Greenwashing Forum, University of Oregon, 2009)
  • 71% of the people surveyed by The Shelton Group cited saving money as a reason to buy energy-efficient products. Fewer chose to “protect the environment” (55%) or “to protect the quality of life for future generations” (49%).
  • Consumers over 55 years old are the biggest purchasers of green products in the US. (According to ICOM Information and Communications, 2008)
  • 50% believe that green products are of a higher quality, especially in the category of digestible products. (SocialFunds.com)
  • Majority consumers expressed a willingness to pay a premium of 5% or more for green products, especially those in the food and electronics and appliances categories. (SocialFunds.com)
  • Consumer motivation for LEED homes (Shelton Group):

21% – Our children’s future

19% – Increasing energy prices

16% – Reliance on foreign oil

14% – Global warming

With so many stats pointing toward continued growth, Green should be a mainstay in corporate values and, therefore, the marketing mix. Smart marketing that incorporates the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, in addition to other industry best practices is the surest way to tap into that growth.

Want more? Visit Build Intel where the list goes on…

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Posted in Green, Lists, Marketing, Remodeling, Trends | 2 Comments »

Suggested Reading: New Design and Architecture Titles

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

If you are looking to supplement your reading list with design and/or architecture-specific books, consider the following new titles to fuel your inspiration.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts, as we welcome any book reviews and recommendations from you, our readers.

Design-Specific Publications

  1. Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions: Secrets for Making Any Room Look Elegant and Feel Spacious on Any Budget
  2. Southern Lady: Gracious Spaces: Creating the Perfect Sanctuary in Every Room
  3. French Interiors; The Art of Elegance
  4. The Finishing Touch: Details that Make a Room Beautiful
  5. Michael Taylor: Interior Design

Architecture-Specific Publications

  1. New Treehouses of the World (Publication Date: 5/1)
  2. TINY Houses
  3. Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture
  4. Prefab Houses (Publication Date: 5/1)
  5. BLDGBLOG Book (Publication 6/10)

Happy reading!

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Posted in Features, Home Decor, Lists | No Comments »

Defining Home Industry Jargon

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Getting to Know Four New Industry Buzzwords 

With industry trade shows like KBIS and PCBC coming up in the May and June, you may hear a few new terms tossed around and find yourself wondering what they mean. Take a look at the four terms below to get a head-start on the latest industry jargon. 

  1. Gastrosexuals – A breed of men who consider cooking more of a hobby than a chore. These men think cooking is cool and even use this pastime as part of their mating ritual.  According to experts, this group is on the rise as more and more men find themselves in the kitchen. For this reason, many marketers are targeting this demographic when they launch new kitchen products. 
  2. Prime Timers – Americans who are age 64 and over are being referred to as Prime Timers. In the United States, there are more that 40 million Prime Timers, who are typically looking for products that have easy-to-use features, are lightweight and include an intuitive design. Marketers are keeping this group in mind due to their discretionary income and growing population. 
  3. Burrowing – According to experts, the hot new phrase to use when referring to how more and more Americans are staying at home is “burrowing.” “Burrowing” is being used to describe how Americans are retracting to the home now more than ever before, given the current economic climate and the increased need to save money. What’s important about this to a marketer? Due to this trend, Americans are focusing more on cleaning and organizing and are looking for products to help. 
  4. Deep Green Consumers – This terms refers to the segment of consumers who are most interested in green/eco-friendly products and services. According to experts, this group makes up about 15% of our population – and is continuing to grow. This demographic is the most knowledgeable about green topics and most interested in related products/news. 

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Crafting a Recession-Proof Pitch

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Earlier this week, USA Today reported that spending on home improvement projects is expected to decline at an annual rate of 12.1% by the third quarter, and not expected to pick back up until the economy recovers.

Unfortunately, fewer home sales means fewer remodeling projects since the majority of spending occurs during the moving process. After all, moving is expensive largely because homeowners need to spend money to increase the resale value of their current home AND to improve their new home so that it fits their lifestyle needs.

In addition to home sales being down, homeowners are also hesitant to spend because they are not sure what remodeling projects will actually pay off when they go to sell down the road.

Given the reality of the home improvement industry, it is important to adjust your media relations strategies so that they reflect the current economic situation.

Below are three tips to improve your media pitches and ensure that they meet editors’ needs and expectations during this time: Typing

  1. Understand that “home and garden” editorial departments are much shorter staffed than they were two years ago. That said, consider reaching out to editors that cover different beats with a pitch that has been tweaked just for them. For instance, take a pitch that is focused on improvements that you can make to enhance the home office and adjust the message so that it addresses the trend in employers giving their staff the opportunity to telecommute one or more days during the week. This simple adjustment allows you to pitch a workplace or business reporter, who may be looking for trend information about how companies are modifying their approach to accommodate rising gas prices.
  2. Draft your pitches so that the value proposition is clear from the beginning. The editor should be able to articulate exactly how your product or service will help their readers do more with less, given the fact that consumers are extremely budget-conscious.
  3.  Spend some time getting to know each publications’ website – who shapes the content, how the editorial calendar for online articles maps to what is in the print edition, material submission deadlines, etc. Once you have gathered this information, offer the online editors specific resources that can be added to an online story so that it enhances what runs in print. In other words, if there is a home improvement story slated for the print edition, offer the online editor an interview with your expert spokesperson, tips, photos or even video content. 

By thinking like a reporter and getting to know the landscape in which they are working, your media pitches will stand out among the rest during these difficult times. 

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Posted in Lists, Marketing | No Comments »

 
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