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Marketing targets cedar users
By Jeff Loth President Western Red Cedar Lumber Association
HE 1980s provided some inter- esting times for cedar producers, from changing markets and consumer tastes to continued pressures on available timber resources to a renewed industry commitment to cedar marketing. And the decade of the '90s promises to be even more challenging for cedar producers in the U.S. and Canada.
It will be imperative in the '90s that a balance be struck between the needs of timber for products and the desire to preserve forestlands. And producers on both sides of the border will be working hard to meet this challenge.
The markets for cedar products have evolved in the past l0 years along with housing designs and customer preferences. Wood decks, many of them constructed of cedar, have added a new dimension to homes by creating outdoor living spaces. The stark plastic, glass and metal look has given way to a desire for more natural tones such as wood. Cedar paneling, exposed ceilings and other decorative products have also warmed up the interiors of homes and commercial buildings, replacing non-natural materials.
These changes did not come about entirely by chance. In the mid1980s, the cedar industry determined it must take deliberate, wideranging marketing action in order to protect and expand markets for cedar lumber products. As a result, WRCLA embarked on an expanded marketing program to use these trends to create greater demand.
The industry identified four major audiences: architects and specifiers, builders and contractors, remodelers and retail/wholesale dealers. Special advertising was created for each group, highlighting the many benefits of using cedar. Projects using cedar in a variety of interior and exterior applications were publicized in major trade and consumer publications. Hundreds of thousands of publications, from idea books to
Story at a Glance
Cedar leaders remain committed to increased marketing efforts in the 1990s, building upon promotional efforts in the past decade. increased cedar use anticipated.
