Most of us are optimistic that we’re at the heels of the Recession, the worst is behind us.  The truth is, there are still folks struggling to keep their heads above water and industries not expected to see a boost in until 2011 or later.  The architecture, design and construction market is one of these industries.  In a recent article, I read that, “historically, the architecture industry does not pick up after a recession until jobs are created.” It could be a long road to recovery for this market as unemployment remains high.

One would think that advertisers would be using the vulnerability of this market to their advantage in providing thoughtful, relevant and influential ad messages.   So as a media planner, I was surprised at what I found one day while partaking in a ritual of flipping through industry focused publications.

In an issue of a popular A&D magazine, I found several ads displaying skinny high-end models wearing little besides fake eye lashes and bikinis.  I almost had to flip over the cover to convince myself that I hadn’t accidentally picked up my latest issue of Vogue.

After a little investigating, I found that 90% of readers “take action” as a result of reading this particular publication.  With construction projects on hold and dwindling design budgets and project scopes, there are vast opportunities to present a very influential message. These individuals are at a point where they are open to solutions that will keep their businesses afloat.  Now I’m no ad critic, but in this instance, I’m not convinced that sex appeal is the answer.

As an industry deemed one of “innovation,” an innovated approach seems only appropriate.  These are the people with the “big ideas,” so let’s assume that they are the ones open to these ideas as well. A little research and a resourceful media planner can help unfold the answers to what can become the framework of an influential marketing message.

Media planners are in a unique position.  We have relationships with our reps and we can reach out to them for valuable insights on the climate of the industry and the needs or wants of the audience a publication reaches.

Who knows, maybe if I dug a little deeper I would find that the model ads perform really well within this industry despite its current economic condition.  Regardless, it’s an important exercise to regularly evaluate the state of your target audience and industry.  After all, do you really want your ad to be responsible for a reader questioning the publication they’re reading?

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Photo courtesy of diagnosticetrenovation (flickr.com)