Marketing for the architectural profession: Applying marketing principles to the business of architecture

Abstract

There are critics who argue that marketing processes when applied to the practice of architecture encourage architects to compromise design excellence by giving into clients desires and discarding architectural values. But there are also supporters who see marketing as a process by which better buildings are generated and clients are subsequently more satisfied with the product, as well as the service. Marketing is a management tool. It was developed to help organizations respond to the forces that affect business operations. Nearly 30 years after the introduction of marketing concept few architecture firms fully understand the benefits marketing can afford the profession. This paper is intended to identify the complexities and uniqueness of marketing architectural services. The goal is to generate an understanding of what marketing is, what it is not, and how it applied to the practice of architecture.