{"id":14160,"date":"2013-01-04T10:31:32","date_gmt":"2013-01-04T15:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/?p=14160"},"modified":"2017-01-11T15:54:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T20:54:28","slug":"csis-new-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/csis-new-look\/","title":{"rendered":"CSI\u2019s new look"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo-GEREN\"<\/a>INSIDE CSI<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nRonald L. Geren, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP, AIA
\n<\/strong>Several weeks ago, I received a call from a middle-school student. He was supposed to interview someone in a career field in which he was interested\u2014my ego swelled. Then common sense hit me: would a pre-teen boy be excited about becoming a specifier and building code consultant? When I asked him why he wanted to meet with me, he responded, \u201cBecause you\u2019re CSI!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pop! There went my ego, because I knew exactly what he was after. After collecting what was left of my self-esteem, I politely explained to the young man that I have nothing to do with crime scene investigations.<\/p>\n

Even before a certain television series began appearing on CBS 12 years ago, \u2018our\u2019 CSI has been suffering an identity crisis. However, on the bright side, we have been around longer (65 years to be exact), and will outlive the TV-shows-that-shall-not-be-named. I hope.<\/p>\n

In Sarah Sladek\u2019s 2011 book, The End of Membership<\/i> As We Know It: Building the Fortune-flipping, Must-have Association of the Next Century<\/i>, she explores how associations must change for an era where technology is essentially a part of everything and where membership is morphing from an older generation into a newer one. She writes, \u201cHealthy, successful associations are responsive to change. They don\u2019t walk around with their eyes closed. They are constantly thinking ahead and moving forward.\u201d The design and construction industry has changed, specifications have changed, and construction documents have changed\u2014in response, CSI has changed along with them. The problem is few people know about it.<\/p>\n

Although specifications have been front and center for many years (it is literally our middle name), CSI needed to address evolving technologies in construction documents and building through the introduction of educational programs, standards, formats, and certifications either lacking or nonexistent in other industry-related associations. This led to initiatives only CSI could develop and foster, such as new formats and standards (e.g. GreenFormat, <\/i>OmniClass<\/i>, and the Uniform Drawing System<\/i>), educational opportunities (e.g.<\/i> webinars, the Academies, and YouTube videos), and certifications (e.g.<\/i> Certified Construction Contract Administrator [CCCA] and Certified Construction Product Representative [CCPR]).<\/p>\n

\"Inside_Figure1\"<\/a>Revitalizing the brand<\/b>
\nCSI took a bold move to improve the public perception about the organization. This was the result of a \u2018brand revitalization\u2019 that began at the end of 2011. With board approval, the institute hired Potomac Communications Group\u2014a marketing and media outreach consultant\u2014to work with the CSI Brand Revitalization Task Team (BRTT) in creating a stronger image for CSI.<\/p>\n

BRTT members were selected to represent the diversity of CSI and its stakeholders; it included institute leaders and staff, chapter leaders and members, emerging professionals, nonmembers, architects, specifiers, and construction product representatives.<\/p>\n

The effort began with a membership-wide survey and interviews with CSI board members and staff. The results of the survey and interviews formed the foundation of the brand revitalization process, providing guidance for the task team and consultant.<\/p>\n

To better focus the task team, a \u2018messaging triangle\u2019 was developed to describe the three elements of the CSI Experience (Figure 1) who we are, what we do, and how we do it. These elements are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. As an organization, we are evolving to meet the needs of a changing building design and construction industry.<\/li>\n
  2. We connect all members of the building team to the information they need to effectively communicate and improve project delivery.<\/li>\n
  3. We are the only community where one can network and collaborate with building experts across the design, building materials, and construction disciplines.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    After much discussion and many iterations of logos, descriptors, and taglines, the task team forwarded its final recommendation to the CSI board at the September meeting before Construct 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. After unanimous approval, the board decided to reveal the revitalized branding to the CSI membership at the Annual Business Meeting that week at the convention.<\/p>\n

    The approved recommendation included using an initials-only name in its messaging, but CSI will legally remain as \u201cThe Construction Specifications Institute, Inc.\u201d BRTT made many attempts to provide a descriptor to accompany the \u2018CSI\u2019 initials (in the same vein as CTIA\u2014The Wireless Association), but decided describing CSI in four words or less proved to be an impossible task. In lieu of a descriptor, a tagline was created that would accompany the logo and says in as few words as possible what CSI is about: \u201cBuilding Knowledge, Improving Project Delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The first two words offer dual meanings:<\/p>\n