The new wood for good campaign has unveiled a 2010 marketing programme, ranging from national newspaper advertising, to distribution of a logo for timber companies to use on their vehicles.
The previous campaign wound down early in 2009, but an industry summit, hosted by The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and the campaign’s main shareholders in October, generated fresh support for a relaunch.
The meeting included a presentation by the campaign’s advertising agency, Newcastle-based Exclaim, of its new marketing theme. This focuses on the image of scales weighing up timber’s carbon benefits against competing materials and using the strapline “Wood CO2ts less”.
The first adverts using this ‘execution’ will appear in February in the building sector trade press, including Building, Architects’ Journal and Housebuilder. This initial wave will culminate with a series in the Sunday Times, starting just before the Ecobuild show in early March.
Exclaim’s Stephen Reed said that after this there will be an “intensive 10-month advertising campaign” targeting key timber specifiers, plus their main clients, including developers, major retailers and the public sector.
“The aim is to take ownership of the carbon agenda and position wood in the minds of professional specifers and their clients as the natural choice to replace carbon intensive masonry, steel and plastic,” he said.
The scales logo will also be made available for campaign supporters to use in corporate livery.
“By displaying the scales on vehicles, literature and other promotional communications they will benefit from positive recognition of the campaign,” said Mr Reed.
TTF chief executive John White said he was delighted the campaign was restarting after the “hiatus” in 2009.
“We’ve now got a strategic marketing campaign which, coupled with sophisticated PR and lobbying activities, will deliver real benefits for the timber industry and enable it to grasp the golden opportunities it has engineered over the last few years,” he said.
The current funding level and number of backers has not been disclosed, but earlier it was estimated that the campaign should aim for an annual budget of £500,000-700,000.
“We are starting to see companies come forward to back the campaign, which is encouraging,” said Stuart Goodall, chief executive of one of wood for good’s main shareholders the Confederation of Forest Industries (ConFor), “And as it gathers momentum and people see the benefit, we should see the next tier of supporters come through.”
Wood for good will be managed by a steering committee representing supporters. Its other shareholders are the Forestry Commission and Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
