Current Markefing Considerations Discussed at Plywood Meeting

The second Annual Spring Meeting of the Southern California Plywood Association was held earlv in March at the West Venetian Room of the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. Over one hundred plywood men attended the meeting, which is the largest gathering of this industry in this area each year. The principal purpose of the meeting was to hear a talk by W. H. "Bill" Hunt, vice president in cl,arge of plywood and specialty sales of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Mr. Hunt, who is also on the Board of Directors of G-P, came frorn Portland, Oregon especially to address the plywood gathering on the subject of "Marketing Considerations in Our Current Economy". The talk, which ernphasized the need for merchandising of plywood through advertising, was lvell received. Among the important comments made by Mr. Hunt were the following:

"The subject selected is 'Marketing Considerations in Our Current Economy-The Jobber's Role.' No'te well the key word, 'Current'. That means 'Now'-1962 or l%3, or most likely the decade of the '$Q's-4 decade I have chosen to call 'The Decade of the SalesmanThe Decade of the Marketing Man.'This subject has been selected for one very important reason -the need for better market practices in all phases of modern-day business.

". Marketing is all that happens to a product from the time it is manufactured until it gets to the consumer. The American Marketing Association chooses to define marketing as 'The activity involved in selling the right product or the right service at the right place, at the right time, in the right quantities, and at the right price.'

"In addition to the general term 'marketing', you have no doubt been aware of the emphasis which is being placed on the phrase 'The New Marketing Concept.' This is a concept of doing business which is being adopted at a rapid rate by American business and it is my guess that emphasis on the'New Marketing Concept' will continue to accelerate at least through this decade-the decade of the salesman. A simple definition of the 'Ner,r' Marketing Concept' is that 'The customer is king.' In other words, it means that all activities in any business or corporation which has adopted the new marketing concept are designed and developed with the customer's needs and desires in mind.

Mr. Hunt then outlined the several major periods that have characterized the development of production and merchandising: the initial period of growth at the time of the Industrial Revolution when emphasis was upon building and financing factories and machines; the second great period when emphasis was upon mass production, to bring the products to the masses at pric.es they could afford. This was followed by the great period of advertising-inducing the public to buy the new products now mass produced. Then came the years of World \A:ar II when emphasis shifted to producing the necessary materials of war, and selling of necessity was forgotten; in the war's aftermath, selling was still unnecessary for attention was given primarily to converting to a peace-time economy and production.

In the 60's, however, Mr. llunt sumrnarized, everything is in good supply -'rpvslyfhing is highly competitive because modern-day marketing has been unable to keep up with modernday production." Thus, creative selling becomes imperative-not just divertive selling. "In creative selling we create new and orofitable markets and in divertive selling rve simply attempt to take the place of some competitor in a sales picture-in other words, divert business from him to us with the result that a broader market is not created and profit disintegrates or disappears entirely."

"Creative selling," Mr, Hunt continrred, "involves the selling of benefits-not price-to those who have not used a given product before-or in fewer applications. At times we perhaps are all guilty of attempting to divert business from another to ourselves and that probably will continue. The thing to remember about this is that creaiive selling increases profits and, conseque'ntly, one can afford to spend much more time and effort in so doing- wltereas, on the contrary' all diverting can do is to tear down the orofit structure."

Concluded Mr Hunt, "Gentlemen, in the marketing plan what we need is not more advErtising, but more effective use and coordination of advertising with the other facets of marketing; not more creativity, but more control in terms of objectives; not more technique, but mo,re thought to the proper application of techniqu-eand noConly fhought about individual practices (duch as writing an ad_ or designing a display or training a salesman) but thought about how each part'u'ill fit into the total marketing plan." - The meeting was presided over bY Don L. Bralej', Division N{anager of United StateJ Plyrvood Corporation, who is President of the Southern California Plywood Association. In addition to Don Braley, other Officers, Directors and distinguished guests at the speaker's table were: Leonard H. Crofobt, Secretary-Treasurer and Director of SCPA ahd Vice President of Davidson-Western Plywood Company ; (Continueil on Page 30)

BEVEI. CHANNEI- RUSnIC. BOARD & BATTEN . DECKING PAIIEI GRADE.GREEN & DRY DIInIENSION

WESTERN RED INCENSE

ALASKA YEttOW FOUNDATION

CEDAR FENCING (oll

Cedor Shingles

Cedor Shokes

Cedqr Shims

Cedor Polings

Cedor Hip & Ridge

-Horizgntal Horizontal Vertical Board Tongue & Itrop Siding Bevel Siding & Batten GroovC Siding

Wholesale Only

Truck and Trailer Rail

L. C. L.

Representing:

* MoD(I}IALD CEDAR

PR(|DUCTS, [TD.

* TAMF(IRD CEDAR, TTD.

* TUMAC C(l., t1{c.