The importance of targeted promotion of timber and timber products has been recognised by the Scottish Timber Trade Association (STTA).
It has appointed Edinburgh-based Anne McDonald of AM Communications to look after its public relations and promotional activity for 2001/2002.
STTA is following the Northern Ireland Timber Trade Association down the PR route. The latter has raised £115,000 in just two years to promote itself and timber products among building professionals and consumers.
STTA president Bruce Muirhead explained: ‘We have been working with Anne McDonald for a number of years and now we have decided to formalise it. At the moment there is no promotion of timber and timber companies in Scotland, so we are doing our own thing.
‘While actively supporting the TTF and continuing to liaise regularly with the public affairs department, we are also keen specifically to promote our members and their products in the Scottish market place.’
Promotions activity will centre on the production of four articles on timber sectors and issues. These will be used to update the association’s website, launched last year, and form the basis of a quarterly advertising feature in a nominated trade journal. They will also target professional and specifier journals. The topic for the first article is ‘structural plywood’.
The STTA also plans to produce an annual newsletter Using Timber which will incorporate the articles and other material.
