AIA launches huge media blitz to promote profession

The American Institute of Architects launched a three-year public relations push Sunday with a commercial encouraging people to "look up" from their smartphones and admire the work of architects around them.

The new campaign is among the most ambitious in AIA's history, integrating traditional media with social media, legislative advocacy and industry briefing. The goal is to heighten awareness of the profession among both decision makers and the general public.

"Architects are playing a vital role in the betterment of society that most people don't realize," AIA CEO Robert Ivy told CEO Update.

AIA hired The Purpose Institute—an Austin-based division of advertising agency GSD&M—to design the campaign. While the social media component got an early start in 2014, the campaign made its official debut Sunday with 30-second spots on CBS's "Face the Nation" and "Sunday Morning," and NBC's "Meet the Press." AIA also plans to run ads the following two Sundays, February 15 and 22.

As for the reasons for the push at this time, AIA insists the profession is doing well but it wanted to make sure that architects are on the forefront of people's minds when tackling a construction or renovation project.

"Our overarching goal with this campaign is to make sure that when clients are considering whether to design or build anything, the first call they make is to an architect," AIA President Elizabeth Chu Richter said in a statement. "We want architects to be the most valued and trusted confidant throughout the entire design and building process."

The campaign's official website is www.ilookup.org