American Association of Home Inspectors (ASHI) celebrated its 30th year in 2006 as a professional society of independent home inspectors with more than 6,000 members throughout North America. Several years ago, ASHI's board of directors made the decision to solidify its brand with the help of MS&L. As part of a multi-disciplined branding effort, the largest undertaking ever attempted by the association, it unveiled The ASHI Experience.

The ASHI Experience had a three-fold mission: 1) Educate consumers about the importance of home inspection and how to select a home inspector; 2) educate real-estate professionals about the value provided by ASHI members; and 3) educate ASHI members about the need for the program.

One of the biggest obstacles of the campaign was resistance from some ASHI members, who had incurred an increase in dues to pay for the effort. To increase buy-in, the team dedicated a portion of the campaign to directly benefit and train the individual ASHI members on how to deliver The ASHI Experience, while also engaging the more than 80 chapters.

For real-estate brokers, another key target, MS&L developed a program to tie-in customer referrals to the agent’s reputation in order to further elevate the profession. As a majority of ASHI’s members receive referrals from brokers, it was important to impress upon them confidence in the level of professionalism and experience of the inspectors.

To address the importance of home inspections among consumers and to secure media attention, MS&L decided to capitalize on the real estate boom and use an interactive online tool – The Virtual Home Inspection – as a news hook. The idea was to allow consumers to experience an ASHI inspection while also pointing them to ASHI inspectors. The first step in enhancing the online program was a complete overhaul of the existing ASHI Web site at www.ashi.org.

To promote the launch of the site and campaign, MS&L conducted a national media tour, produced and distributed radio and television PSAs and conducted an Internet PSA campaign. Results for The ASHI Experience have been unprecedented, with print media placements in The Wall Street Journal, Country Living, This Old House, Popular Mechanics, Better Homes and Gardens, O at Home, Reader’s Digest and Newsweek.

National television coverage included the Today Show, CBS Early Morning, CNN’s Headline News and Open House. The number of unique visitors to the ASHI Web site increased by 35 percent over the previous year. In addition, the number of actual searches performed for ASHI inspectors on the Web site is up approximately 30 percent.