Deslers Vitol Port of Western Pine Assn. Promotion Progrom

The promotion of lumber factured by member mills of an important function of the over 30 years.

and lumber products malluthe western region has been Western Pine Association for fn order to achieve our goal, you retail lumber dealers play a very important part. According to information recently received, 7l/o of. all lumber manufactured in this country in 1956 was used in building and construction exclusive of railroads. Of the more than two billion board feet of lumber manufactured in the WPA Region of California, 4-4/o stays within the state. You can readily see from these figures why you as retail lumber dealers ire considered a vital component of our promotion program.

For the funds that are available we maintain an extremelv broad scope of activities. The goal to achieve the mosi promotion possible for each promotion dollar which will aid member mills to sell more of their products.

Consumer advertising plays an imporfant role in our overall activity. This medium is used to tell as many people as possible.about the fine qualities of the species oi itri Rigion. Suggestions are made through illustrati,ons of the attraitive and effective ways lumber can be utilized to create a background for pleasant and comfortable living.

PeopJe are dreami4g, planning and purchasing lumber every day in the year. We deem it vital that we should app_e_ar as many times as funds will permit to tell our story. We feel continuity and repetition are essential in creating a demand for lumber from the Western Pine Region. With this object in mind, we primarily use half-page ads in black and white to achieve thfu purpoie.

'We are also selective irrthe magazines we use to tell our story. Our consumer magazines aie selected from the ones whose editorial content is basically devoted to the home and home improvement. Readers of -these magazines are the most likely prospects for the use of lumbei and thus ofier the greatest potential for sales by your yards.

Magazines-such as "Better Hoi"es and Gardens," "American Tfome," "Living," and "Building Manuals" of House and Garden and House Beautiful, andln the "How-to-do-itl' fi-e-ld, "Popular Mechanics" and 'iPopular Science," all have Western Pine Association ads with considerable frequency. All of these ads, in their copy, state the source of supply is the local retail lumber dealer.

Readership surveys of some of the magazines generally place our ads in the top 10 in the magaziie. Keyed inquiry returns corroborate this fact. That there is considerable interest b;r the public in building is indicated by the returns for 7957, which were up l8/o over the previous year. During this past year we averaged 400 inquiries each day from consumer magazine advertising. Persbnal interviewi with people who write in for further information as a result of this advertising indicate 56/o are definite prospects and can be readily sold. In California, 18 out of every 100 families, or.virtually one out of every five families, ieceive a mag- azine each month in whictr one of the Association's ads appears.

For the contractor and builder trade we use magazines such as "Practical Builder," "American Buildei, and :'N_4F_B Journal" to tell of the many fine qualities of the individual species in full-page ads eaCh month.

Architectural magazines are used to keep this profession informed. National and Regional lumber dealer iragazines are utilized to tell our story to you dealers. Here again, full pages are used for this purpose every month.

Altogether, 37 magazines having 354 ads with a circulation of over 100 million copies cairied the Association advertising. In 1958 this phase of our program was increased.

Two years ago we inaugurated a publicity program whereby editorial material is sent to all newspaperJ and projects.are developed which editors of consumef magazines feature in thcir editorial columns. We find this is a worthy supplement to our advertising since such material aids and abets our ads. It also brings tb the attention of readers who

By J.W.Sherar, Manager, Promotion Department

Joe Sharor delivcrcd the occomponying tolk of the 1958 convenfion of thc Soulhern Cqlifornio Rctoil Lumber Arsociolion.

The tqlk ic especiolly timely now in light of the iust-storting notionol promotion of lumber ond wood product3 might pass over our ads worthwhile information on our products.

Each article or project tells of some unique, economical or practical way our products are used to achieve an effect, to lower maintenance or to make more comfortable living for the individual. Like all programs at their inception, this one started slow but, as the editors become familiar with the material offered, we find the acceptance is increasing and more and more requests are'being received for additional material.

We have for years maintained an information service where we prepare and release news items, articles and other information pertinent to the Western Pine Region mills to rlewspapers, radio and television newscasters, trade magazines and others to keep you informed what is going on within the industry. We are also called on many times during the year to pi'epare feature or special articles for use by editors, authors and others.

Visual advertising through the use of l6mm. films is another phase of our promotion work. Through this medium we tell audiences throughout the country about tree farming and perpetuating the supply of timber, the manufacture of lumber along with general and specific suggestions as to usages and advantages of the product.

The two films we now have available, "The Bounty of the Forest" and "Operation Attic," are award-winning films. They are excellent for staff sales meetings, luncheon club programs, church socials, school students and other gatherings. Many lumber dealers make extensive use of these for the purpose cited above and we have had many compliments on their effectiveness.

Through a booking agency which specializes in television showings, we have been able to show both of these subiects to untold millions of television viewers. Virtually every day in the year, one or both of these movies will be shown iomewhere in the United States on television stations.

These showings are a benefit to all lumber dealers since they tell about a building material readily available at your yard. They also furnish you an opportunity to take spot annoullcements telling of your facilities to take care of the viewers' building needs.

Right _n9w we have in preparation lour Sft-minute segrnents which will be incorporated into 30-minute television programs along with other building material manufacturers. This program, titled "Building America," will be shown on