Brand-New Way

Perhaps no national builder has pursued co-branding more extensively than KB Home, which, in addition to Martha Stewart, has partnered with such diverse and well-known television shows as The Simpsons, in a co-promotion with Pepsi and the Fox network to build and give away a replica of the cartoon characters' house (back in 1997 in Henderson, Nev.); with Live With Regis and Kelly, to give away a house built on the ABC network lot in New York; and with a segment of Extreme Makeover.

The impetus for co-branding is to reach out to consumers who may not be at the point of buying a home today, introduce them to your brand, and become the first name they think of when they are ready to buy, KB's Marlett says. While extremely different, all four of KB's co-branding initiatives reflect and reinforce the KB brand message of quality and choice.

“Exposure for exposure's sake is not as important as being able to tell the company's story and what's behind the brand,” Marlett says. “Something as goofy as Homer and Marge [Simpson] picking out an iridescent-orange kitchen in the KB Home design studio is a fun way to showcase the ‘choice' message.

LONG-TERM STRATEGY: Led by CEO Ian McCarthy (in the red jacket), Beazer Homes USA spent years studying its customers and itself before it undertook a major branding effort that focused on the home buying experience. Building a house on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was a perfect fit with Beazer's new tagline, “Someday Starts Today.“

“True branding is very consistent. I stick with that moniker of quality and choice, whether you're a first-time or luxury buyer. There may be nuances, but you have to be consistent.”

Parkin calls KB's partnership with Stewart a “great example of leveraging a person who has compelling brand ideas that would be very synonymous for homes. It's a perfect marriage of two brands that would make sense [together],” he says.

One of the reasons the KB–Stewart arrangement works, Miles notes, is that the two brands align well together, which is critical for a successful cooperative effort. If both brands have their own devoted fan base to bring to the table, all the better.

“It makes a lot of sense that KB would want to find someone who is a leader in teaching and educating people how to make a better home,” Miles says. “It makes the future of living in the house come alive.”