What were the possible risks attached to using a new medium at a time when the company was also launching a new product? What combination of social media networks should Formica Group use? How could Formica Group integrate its marketing campaign and events by cross-promoting them on social media networks to optimize ROI? How might Formica Group reach out to the designer and builder bloggers attending the trade shows to leverage their influence? How can Formica use social media to create an effective content marketing message about their sustainable products and leverage the Cool Energy House at the International Builders Show? Online design apps, software, and 3D product models are a way that building product manufacturers differentiate themselves from competitors and create brand loyalty within the design community. How can Formica Group leverage its investment in this technology with designers attending the trade shows?

Created by Mark Johnson FAIA, principal of MARKITECT.me, Formica Corporation's legacy dates back to the invention of "Formica" in 1913. By the 1950s, its decorative laminates were used for the kitchen and bathroom countertops in one out of three new American homes. In the same decade, Formica Brand-topped dining tables with chrome legs became an icon of mid-century American furniture design. The new millennium presented greater challenges for Formica Corporation. Competing decorative laminate manufacturers, changing consumer preferences for upscale tile and stone countertops, the product's lifecycle maturity, and its perception as a commodity, all challenged Formica's market leadership. Now a global company, Formica Corporation is the North American entity of the Formica Group of companies. It has introduced hundreds of new patterns and surfacing innovations in recent decades. Yet decorative laminate, the brand's core product offering, had an inherent design limitation known as "the brown line," the dark edge of laminate that is visible in many installations. In addition to overcoming this design challe box , Formica Group tackled the significant task of "greening" its product line, a priority for designers looking to specify sustainable products in the new millennium. The Formica Brand's relevance within the B2B design community hinged largely on these two R\&D initiatives. Formica Group developed IdealEdge TM - decorative laminate edges suitable for curved, clipped, or 90-degree corner installations - to address the design challenge. IdealEdge TM profiles transcend the customary limitations of laminate by eliminating flat edges and brown seams. In addition to introducing this laminate industry breakthrough, Formica Group made tremendous strides in sustainability initiatives by completing a lifecycle assessment on key products, achieving FSC certification on its laminates, and developing the first major-branded solid surfacing material to contain post-consumer recycled content. The rise of B2B social media marketing has paralleled Formica Group's introduction of these product achievements. The company's marketing team wondered if its newest product launch, in conjunction with a new app for the iPad, could be optimized using social media marketing campaigns and events at two major North American trade shows: the International Builders' Show and the Kitchen \& Bath Industry Show. If so, the team needed to formulate and execute a social media strategy to reach the design and building community in record time. There were several key questions Formica Group had to consider before committing additional resources to B2B social media marketing, as follows. - Did Formica Group have the leverage to reach the B2B community, even though its current social media presence was largely B2C? - What social media networks beyond Facebook and Twitter should it consider using, if any? - The team had heard of online crowd-sourcing using live "Twitter chats" and "TweetUps," but had no experience organizing them. Would a combination of live and online social media marketing for Formica Group's new-product launch and iPad app be effective leading up to and during the trade shows? - Should it seek support from bloggers within the ranks of designers and builders? Formica Group knew about the growing number of followers and readership of trustworthy bloggers as product specifiers, and considered tapping their influence. - The Cool Energy House, a "green model home," was being planned to showcase sustainable products at the International Builders' Show. Should Formica Group participate, and how could social media be used to create added value for the sponsorship? - Interior designers and architects desire online, interactive tools to design and present product options to clients. Formica Group developed the free "eChip TM"app for tablets, and made its products available as 3D models downloadable from the Trimble 3D Warehouse. Could Formica Group take advantage of these online assets to create "buzz" for its new-product launch with designers, builders, remodelers, and architects at the trade shows? Would social media also be effective in reaching an audience of B2B influencers who were "virtually" attending the trade shows? Formica Group and its agency tackled each of these social media marketing opportunities and challenges in the first four months of the year, during the building industry trade show season. The strategy and tactics evolved as the team uncovered key learnings from each venue. As with any new initiative, mistakes were made and lessons learned