It seems only yesterday that wood. for good was just a twinkle in the timber industry’s eye; but it is now entering its fourth year. It is well and truly established, with a high recognition rating among key target audiences in the architectural, specification and construction sectors and several advertising industry prizes under its belt, the latest being in the Construction Marketing Awards.
And according to the wood. for good organisation, the promotional efforts will gain further momentum this year with a range of new initiatives planned to boost wood’s image in construction and manufacturing. The obvious manifestation of this will be continuing advertising in the specifier and end user business press, plus seminars, presentations and other “inspirational” initiatives to encourage greater and more diverse wood consumption in the UK.
But, just as importantly, wood. for good will be equally active “behind the scenes”, stepping up its efforts to encourage the timber industry front line to get involved in and capitalise on the activities of the campaign. Merchants, distributors and joinery suppliers are invited to consult wood. for good on their own marketing programmes and, together, work out ways that their promotions can tie in with its latest advertising or public relations initiatives.
A series of seminars is also planned to highlight how timber companies can latch on to wood. for good more effectively.
“We spend 100% of our time promoting timber,” said wood. for good’s managing director Charles Trevor. “We’ve got a lot of knowledge and expertise that are there for companies to use.”
If successful, this strategy could reap benefits all round. As our other articles on timber marketing highlight, the trade has not traditionally been renowned for being particularly promotion and publicity oriented. That’s been changing, but tapping into wood. for good’s skills and experience could help accelerate the process, while the marketing efforts of individual companies could be amplified by association with the wider national campaign.
At the same time, greater industry participation should help to spread the wood. for good gospel and consolidate what it has achieved in its first three years.
