Nordic timber on French TV

Sweden and Finland have teamed up in a TV ad campaign to persuade the French to build more with wood.

The advertising uses the slogan “Je dis oui au bois pour dire non au CO₂” – I say yes to wood, to say no to CO₂.

The campaign funders, the Swedish Forest Industries Federation (SFIF) and the Finnish Forest Foundation, say it is their biggest marketing investment this year.

France is one of the biggest European markets for softwood. Its annual imports are 3.9 million m³ and it is seen as having growth opportunities for both Finnish and Swedish suppliers.

Mikael Grevesmühl, chief executive of Stora Enso’s French arm, Stora Enso Bois, said that using more wood also forms part of a drive in France towards a low carbon, sustainable economy. Hence stress in the TV campaign on “positioning timber as an environmentally-friendly material”.

“The French government’s decision to increase the proportion of wood in French buildings means that the market for Swedish and Finnish wood products in France has fantastic potential,” said Mr Grevesmühl.

The commercial will be shown on France 2, 3, 4, and 5 channels and will be backed with advertising in trade magazines. It urges consumers to choose wood for interiors, construction and renovation, with the central theme that wood is renewable and offers a “solution to climate change” by locking in CO₂.

The TV advert, which is also backed by French furniture and wood organisation CODIFAB, can also be seen on YouTube.