Coop advertising can sell morc rcdwood

By Greg Lambert Redwood Marketing Manager Simpson Timber Co.

oFFER CO-OP Make it timely. Make it appropriate to our mar-

The feedback was loud and clear when before forging ahead as usual this year with planning and implementation of a promotion support program on redwood, we decided to tune in on the advertising and promotion needs as perceived by lumber wholesale distributors and dealers.

From the retail side, valuable feedback was gleaned from an in-depth profile study conducted by the Home Center Research Bureau. In a survey asking retail dealers to rate the most useful services their suppliers could provide, co-op advertising came out on top followed by advertising materials and product literature for consumers.

Market playback from the wholesale distributor came from a survey of our distributor customers. It pointed up specifically that the distributor lacked redwood advertising and promotion material that was timely and appropriate to his marketing area.

Based on thrwholesale and retail level input, a major portion of our 1986 redwood advertising and promotion budget has been allocated to co-op and an expansion of our previous co-op support programs. The goal is to provide on a shared-cost 50/50 basis advertising and promotion support tailored to local market requirements and seasonal opportunities to general immediate redwood sales action at the grass roots retail level.

In its ultimate form, the co-op thrust evolves into a three way partnership between manufacturer, distributor, and dealer. The grass roots programs are orchestrated through the wholesale distributor, who qualifies for drawing rights on a pool of redwood promotion funds based on purchases of our redwood. In most situations, the co-op funds are passed along to the local building materials retailer in the form of 50/50 support of special sales events promotions featuring Simpson redwood.

Through the co-op triumvirate the aim is to triple promotion mileage for each promotion dollar invested. For example, as his contribution to the promotion effort, we suggest to the wholesale distributor that he share with Simpson the cost of collateral items such as product literature, redwood seedlings, and the Book of Wood/Could 11 plansbook, thus providing these items free to the promoting dealer.

At the same time, advertising and promotion programs benefit from the intimate knowledge the retail dealer has about seasonal timing and media selections that work best in the local market. We have a lot of confidence in these local choices and are willing to match them on a 50/50 basis plus providing the promotion tools to achieve a maximum result in sales and profit.

For 1986 the professionally prepared promotion support arsenal includes: coop guide, which covers all whys, wherefores and how to's of co-op advertising; a Book of Wood containing 23 innovative redwood projects by professional wood workers; tv spot slide set including a storyboard script and 35 mm. slides for a 30 second tv spot promoting The Book of Wood/Could II.

A repro art kit with 25 pages of newspaper repro art including headlines, sel-

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