ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia

18 | OPERATIONS
STRATEGY ONE:
INDUSTRY PROMOTION
Communications for a growing industry
This strategy aims to promote the benefi ts and usage of
forests and wood products. Specifi cally, the goals are to
generate a positive attitude to the use of wood products
and to have wood products used more widely in both
decorative and structural applications. This will be achieved
by promoting the positive benefi ts of wood and addressing
any real or perceived impediments to the usage of wood.
A secondary objective is to create opportunities for the
industry to promote itself and present a confi dent image
to its key audiences. Many organisations and people
are unaware of the many advantages of wood and its
potential to provide a greater contribution to a sustainable,
productive national economy. Market research indicates
that the forest and wood products industry is viewed as a
credible source of this information – more so than many
other industry sectors.
Reliable source of information about the environment
Respondents
Prompted recall of advertising
Please indicate if you have ever previously seen these
advertisements. Tracker 4 – Market attitudes towards using
wood – July 2010
Respondents
%
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
%
15
10
5
0
58%
Forest and
Wood Products
9%
2009– T2
44%
Brick
38%
Concrete
FWPA ANNUAL REPORT 09/10
Industry
4.5%
2010 – T3
35%
Steel
23%
Automotive
12%
12%
Oil
2010 – T4
Activities within the promotional program frequently
incorporate the results of FWPA funded R&D projects
and technology transfer activities, especially in the
new specifi er information program. This congruence
of activities demonstrates the value of an integrated
strategic plan and lateral communications.
Engaging with stakeholders
and audiences
The form and content of effective communications
must be based on reliable information. Understanding
community attitudes to assist FWPA decision making
and program development is an ongoing process, both
formally through market research and informally, through
discussions with allied and partner organisations.
Similarly, engagement with regulators, standards bodies,
opinion leaders and specifi ers is essential to ensure that
FWPA communication activities are addressing the needs
of the target audience.
Building awareness with new
communications to wider
target audiences
Now approaching the end of its second full year, the
Wood. Naturally Better. consumer program continues
to focus on the benefi ts of using wood products.
The primary message remains that wood stores
carbon, so using more wood products can help tackle
climate change.
Many years of research, often funded by FWPA (and its
predecessor) have demonstrated that there are major
barriers to increased use of wood by building specifi ers
such as architects, engineers, building designers,
developers and builders. In November 2009, the FWPA
Board approved a new specifi ers marketing plan that
is designed to address these barriers. Many of these
activities will be implemented under the new brand of
WoodSolutions. This new program has been designed
to complement Wood. Naturally Better. by providing
information and motivation to use wood and wood
products in design and construction.
In a simplifi ed sense, Wood. Naturally Better.
communicates the benefi ts of wood as a material – the
WHY to use wood. WoodSolutions then follows with
the next step, information about using wood – the HOW
to use wood.
The roles of the two communication streams and their
respective channels are shown on the right.