Marketing to Next Generation Buyers: Strategies for Building Materials Brands

00:29 – Transitioning from retail giants to building materials marketing

02:42 – Challenges of marketing big, bulky products in a digital-first world

04:44 – The key to reaching Gen Z and Millennials

05:47 – How to create content that drives engagement and sales/

08:56 – Influencer marketing strategies that actually work

14:20 – The key focus of Gorilla’s marketing strategy for 2025

Michael Gabbert is the Director of Marketing at Tricam and Gorilla, where he leads marketing efforts for home improvement products. Before stepping into the building materials space, Mike spent years at Amazon and Target, gaining invaluable experience in retail and private-label strategy. His goal at Gorilla is to elevate brand awareness, build an authentic connection with customers, and ensure their product innovation is seen and appreciated by the right audiences. His unique perspective on consumer behavior, digital marketing, and retail partnerships offers key takeaways for building materials brands looking to reach the next generation of buyers.

Transitioning from major retail brands like Amazon and Target to the building materials industry comes with a learning curve, especially when it comes to consumer awareness and distribution channels. Mike shares how he leveraged his background in retail strategy to grow brand visibility in the building materials market.

"When I think of Gorilla, I think of glue. That name is solidified in the adhesive industry. But as I learned more about what we do, I realized that many people, including myself, didn’t even know about our home improvement products. The challenge became clear: How do we get in front of more people?” – Michael Gabbert

Selling large, durable products like ladders, wheelbarrows, and hose reels poses unique challenges in an era dominated by e-commerce. How do you showcase quality and durability online without a customer physically interacting with the product? For Gorilla, finding the right balance between retail partnerships, E-commerce, and digital branding is key.

"You want to touch, feel, and test out these products in-store. Translating that experience to digital is a challenge, but leveraging video, high-quality content, and clear product differentiation helps bridge that gap.” – Michael Gabbert

Millennials and Gen Z engage with brands differently than previous generations, making digital-first strategies critical for building materials brands. Mike discusses how Gorilla is using social media and video content to reach younger consumers, where they spend most of their time.

"Social media is the easiest one that comes to mind, but even beyond that, leveraging video dynamically—even on E-commerce sites is going to be a game-changer.” – Michael Gabbert

Marketing is no longer just about product descriptions—it’s about storytelling, education, and demonstrating real-world applications. Mike highlights the importance of dynamic content in driving engagement and sales.

"Younger buyers aren’t just looking for a product; they’re looking for a brand experience. Showing use cases beyond the obvious, like using a yard cart for tailgating, helps create that connection.” – Michael Gabbert

Influencer marketing is not just for lifestyle brands, it's becoming a critical tool in the building materials space as well. Gorilla is taking a strategic approach to partnering with the right voices who genuinely believe in their products.

"We’re not just looking at big names. We prioritize influencers who are already using and loving our products—it’s about authenticity.” – Michael Gabbert

Looking ahead, Gorilla’s marketing playbook for 2025 focuses on three pillars: content, video, and cross-marketing their growing product portfolio. By creating best-in-class content, leveraging video across platforms, and introducing existing customers to new product lines, they aim to solidify their presence as a leading brand in the building materials industry.

"We’re building a strong foundation—content, video, and cross-marketing our products to ensure customers fully understand what we offer and how it benefits them.” – Michael Gabbert

Have more questions for Michael Gabbert? You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

The Smarter Building Materials Marketing podcast helps sales and marketing professionals find better ways to grow leads, sales, and outperform the competition. It gives insights, examples, and shares stories about how to create a results-driven digital marketing strategy for building products and construction companies of any size. SBMM is co-hosted by Venveo’s Founder, Zach Williams and Venveo’s CEO, Beth PopNikolov.