Western lumber industry organizes marketing push

market" in helping to move commodity lumber products by presenting ideas in concept, as well as with actual plans. During the recent "depression," inventories of past materials were virtually exhausted.

"Some of these would be replaced in any case," Barrett reported. "But if Impetus flies, we'll have a magnifi-

Story at a Glance

Western lumber marketing campaign aims at specific regions and consumers. high involvement lor retailers . .new promotional materials.

cent bank of extraordinary merchandising meterials in tune with the retailing opportunities of the l9&, and tied-in witr structured programs which capitalize upon them."

The biggest itsn, however, would be an innovative markcting strat€gy to pull more common grade boards out of the West, according to Barrett.

One of the major carrpaigns would concentrate on storage and storage rooms in remodeling or new construction which would utilize corrmon board lumber as well as dimensional lumber for frarning.

"This will b€ basd upon the fact that Western producers are America's primary source for boards, and boards are automatically ideal by size and characteristic to be utilized in storage areas. Indications are there is a EFeat shortage of residential storage in America, and a rnajor focus of Impetus would be to satisfy that need. If we can accomplish that, a lot more Western. lumber will be needed by rctailer customers."

The plan sets out specific programs for t'user category" audiences, including retailers, builders, remodeling contractors and consumers. The retailer-oriented segments of Impetus have rohs tied to virtually all other audhnces, since retailers are key to the overall distribution of Western lumber.

Barrett, wfu directs lumber salcs for Champion International, has led the plan's development from its beginning in January 1982.

UESTION: when a local building official questions a builder's use of a Western wood product supplied by your yard, or you have a question about proper usage of a specific grade of Western lumber, where do you turn for help?

Answer: The Western Wood Products Association Field Services staff. With managers in every region of the country, we are ready, willing and able to provide the technical expertise you need on any Western wood product.

But we're more than just a group of troubleshooters. Our primary goal is solving problems before they happen. We do this through education, providing dealers and their employees, builders, architects and engineers, and local building officials with the technical information and know-how needed to sell and use Western wood products effectively.

Using the time and talents of only I I men, the WWPA field services staff tries to reach every city and town in the entire country. It's an ambitious program. We distribute product information, answer questions, and, just as importantly, learn and listen. Part of our job is to gather market information for the manufacturers we represent to help them meet market demands.

Each WWPA field services manager has strengths and experience in the field of architecture, building or lumber manufacturing. But just as importantly, each knows how to effectively present that information and deal with people. Good communication is the key to our success.

With a limited staff, we've had to come up with some innovative ways to achieve these goals. And that's just what we've done. In the last four years we have developed a successful program with a two-pronged approach.

First, we've targeted our calls, focusing on people we call "influentials" in each segment of the industry. These are the people who can get things rolling, starting a chain reaction.

Secondly, we have created a series of highly acclaimed professional seminars for building supply retailers. In the typical seminar, retailers and their staff spend an intensive seven hours learning about lumber manufacturing, grades, species, specifications, storage and usage, span tables, rights under reinspections, and so on. The