Being taken seriously

If you have been writing about one subject for a long time and sharing it on an up-to-date website, Google plays favourites. In many searches on that subject, it puts you in front of the user. So much so that we sometimes rank above some companies' own websites. This is a big advantage for us, but it also brings some awkward situations. As a magazine, we often meet this kind of person: they search Google for a "word", then ask for information through the phone number or e-mail on the contact page of the first site that comes up. So we keep getting requests for the phone number of the company they want to reach, or for the price of a product.

Recently, one of these e-mails we get all the time caught my eye because it was different. A major project management firm, a name we all know, invited us to be a contractor/supplier for an office complex project in Ataşehir. To give you an idea of the size: I'm talking about an office complex with a site area of 20,000 m2 and a total construction area of 89,000 m2. Out of curiosity I went through the attached documents, and I felt a kind of shock I hadn't felt in a long time. The list splits the services under 4 main headings: Real Estate Development and Investment Services, Design Services, Consultancy Services and Contractor&Supplier Services. 88 separate items in total. Some of the items I don't even recognise. For example, "epoxy works".

Now for the real reason for my shock. Forget lighting design (the first thing I looked for): sadly, the word "lighting" did not even appear on the list. As I have written and said many times before, compared with its share of the building materials budget (5-10%), lighting is the industry that adds the most to the user experience. Even so, this project ignored it completely and, I'd guess, hid it behind the electrical item.

When I shared this on LinkedIn, the business social network, a building professional at another major construction firm was surprised by my comment. They told me they thought these were the "main items".

If you work in the lighting industry and you complain about anything (working conditions, price competition and/or quality, whatever it is), know that the root of all your problems lies in these 2 examples.

Our problem is simple: Nobody takes us seriously!

Sadly, until this changes, a better future is not possible for any of us. And the change is in our own hands.

So I ask you: please give part of your time to making people aware. Explain how lighting affects our health. Explain why people learn and work better in well-lit spaces. Explain the link between perception and light. Explain why lighting matters for quality of life. Do it regardless of your brand or your product. If your voice is too quiet on its own, join with others and reach more people. Because if you want to be part of the solution, you have no other choice.

Stay with the light until our next issue.

Emre Güneş
PLD Türkiye