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 RETAIL PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW
The retail component of the Real Outdoor Living program continues to expand, giving pressure-treated wood products a more prominent position in retail outlets throughout the South. ROL is now working on projects with The Home Depot, Lowe's and independent lumber dealers throughout the region.
The Home Depot
As reported in the last issue of this newsletter, ROL completed a wood education video for THD in the fall of 2009 in cooperation with the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) and Mendocino Forest Products (MFP). That video should launch on the store's Web site and in-store sometime this quarter. In addition, ROL's tear sheet (which was revised to include Spanish translation), should go to print and appear on store shelves within the next couple of months.
THD is in the process of redesigning their decking end-caps for stores nationwide and asked for ROL's input with treated wood information and design ideas. ROL provided several design options and suggested copy points, which THD will consider along with those of their composite customers and in-house brands for the final result. ROL is also working with THD to conduct a one-day in-store event focused on decking. The event will also feature parallel vendors (tools, fasteners, stain, etc.) and will take place this spring.
Lowe's
Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine, which goes out to 680,000 homeowners across the southeast, will feature a targeted insert promoting ROL's project plans and photos. The magazine will be distributed this March. ROL is also working with Lowe's to develop an online educational video for the store's site designed to educate homeowners on all aspects of treated wood. The video should be on www.lowes.com by April or May. Lowe's requested that ROL develop a pocket information guide on treated wood for store employees. The guide is now under development. And, in conjunction with Lowe's tabloid promotions for decks, ROL is working with the retailer to conduct an in-store event similar to the HD event mentioned in the previous section.
Independent Dealers
Working with WRCLA and MFP, ROL shot a series of wood education videos last month targeted for independent lumber dealers. The videos feature SPAN's third party spokesman, Brad Staggs, and should be published on www.realoutdoorliving.com next month. The video will be promoted through members and dealer publications. Several dealer publications have already requested a link to the video as soon as it is available, including Home Channel News. .
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ROL MAKES A SPLASH AT INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS SHOW
Real Outdoor Living teamed up with the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) to cohost a media breakfast at the 2010 International Builders Show this month in Las Vegas. And, according to ROL's Kim Drew, the event was a huge success.
"Our goal with the media event and our additional media meetings at the show was to give wood a stronger voice," explains Drew. "We have fantastic information to share with our retail outreach activities and the upcoming LCA results, and the show was an opportunity for us to sow informational seeds with our key media and industry partner audiences. We walked away with some great research numbers from key dealer magazines, several product donation requests, loads of interest in what we've done so far and a few potential project partners."
Over 120 media attended the event, including many from very popular consumer and trade print and broadcast outlets. The program featured brief presentations from WRCLA and ROL/the Southern Pine Awareness Network. Media meetings during the breakfast and around the show floor included the Wall Street Journal, Better Homes & Gardens special interest publications, Country Living, HGTV show producers, PBS show producers, Homefront with Danny Lipford and many more.
Results from the event can already be documented. A reporter from the Wall Street Journal posted an article about ROL on the publication's site before the breakfast ended, and several follow-up calls about ROL information have been fielded in the days since the show. ROL was also able to meet with contacts from Lowe's, The Home Depot, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and preservative companies to discuss plans for 2010 and potential partnerships. |
Greenovation of Terra Verde Features Treated SP
 When Dr. Anna Marie, health specialist for the Weather Channel and host of the syndicated show "Your Life with Dr. Anna Marie," approached ROL about contributing pressure-treated SP to her latest project, we jumped at the opportunity. The project, titled the Greenovation of Terra Verde, is a greenovation project to transform a 1970's ranch-style home in Central Florida.
ROL was originally approached to provide pressure-treated decking for Terra Verde. After a few initial conversations with Dr. Anna Marie, she also decided to use treated SP for roof trusses (which ROL gladly contributed). The project is expected to be completed this spring.
In exchange for the donated product, Dr. Anna Marie is touting the benefits of wood on the project's Web site, which features video blogs about the construction process as well as background information on the project itself. Click here to see a video blog by Dr. Anna Marie titled "Wood is Good!" Terra Verde was also part of a recent home show in Florida, at which ROL distributed about 2,500 project brochures. The project has also garnered media attention in print and broadcast in the Orlando area. |
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