Finding Your B2B Niche: Air Quality & CRE

Have you ever discussed air quality with your employees or investors?

Probably not. Yet it affects the way we live and work every day.

But why is it such an important discussion to have?

And how does this relate to our communications strategies?

Our clients are experts in the areas they work in; whether focused on ESG or retail innovation. In the traditionally slow paced built environment, it can take extra convincing for corporations to invest in future-facing solutions. As such, finding and commenting on CRE topics that are less highlighted by mainstream media is key to positioning them as a leading player in their field. 

We’ve seen it in our work with Spica, whose software, amongst other things, tracks indoor air pollutants to improve occupier health, raise employee office attendance, and enhance productivity. Relating their work to high-profile studies, from both the Harvard School of Public Health (2015) and the Environmental Research Letters journal (2021), helps to demonstrate the unique benefits of implementing such a solution. 

The study conducted by Harvard concluded that, on days with low VOC concentration, the participants’ cognitive scores were (61%) higher than on days with ‘conventional’ levels. This percentage raised even more (101%) when increased ventilation and artificially improved CO2 were brought into the mix. This finding was echoed by the Environmental Research Letters journal in 2021 when a study of 302 office-going individuals across 6 nations showed slower response times and reduced accuracy as a result of poor air quality. 

But how does this link to PR?

Our role is to increase awareness of our client's brands and elevate recognition of their solutions as key to modern society. By highlighting relevant issues, like the underappreciated impact of air quality, we can make our clients stand out. Having created their technology to solve issues faced in the built environment, the least we can do is highlight the expertise that lies behind it. The more niche, the less likely to have been done before, and the more likely to get coverage. 

Working in a space where new innovations are introduced every day, there are bound to be niche topics each company can comment on. It’s our job to find them. 

Air quality has a direct impact on cognitive functioning - so why isn’t it higher on the list of importance for commercial landlords? This needs to change. If you feel the same about the problems you're solving, we can help.