W e feature a picture of a chip. Nothing out of the ordinary there, or so you might think. But this is no relation of the chips that are the source of discontent between wood shavings processors and sawmillers. It’s pure potato.
The object of the exercise, and of the surrounding article by SCA‘s Camilla Hair, is to demonstrate that even the seemingly most humble of commodities can whip up a positive media frenzy with an effective public relations campaign. National Chip Week, cooked up by the British Potato Council, got local and national press, radio and TV attention. And the article highlights that other industries, ranging from the dry and academic, to the ultra-controversial, also have the mechanics in place both to promote their interests and respond to any thorny issues affecting their sector as a whole, or individual companies within it.
And if the chemical and potato people can manage it, how much more scope is there for the timber trade. Month by month, we hear of new developments to crow about that will boost timber’s technical performance, or dispel misconceptions about it. This week, for instance, the BRE announces plans for a £500,000 new fire test centre that should further unravel flammability myths.
It’s also clear that the appetite is there for good news and information about timber. The PR campaign for the Timber Industry Awards for architecture and building this year has generated more than 100 stories in a range of media.
Clearly the Wood for Good and Nordic First campaigns are getting the message across increasingly effectively. But, while I’m willing to stand corrected, what the industry still seems to lack is the sort of rapid reaction publicity machine employed by other sectors which can wheel out spokespeople at the drop of a hat to respond to news developments good and bad. Any volunteers ?
