Sharing the Love - NZ Wood
Published Forestry Bulletin – February 2016
December saw the start of the first phase of a campaign to engage the hearts and minds of New Zealanders about our forests.
Funded by the Forest Growers Levy Trust, the campaign has been developed by the joint Forest Owners (FOA) and Farm Forestry (FFA) promotions committee, chaired by the FOA's Paul Nicholls.
"Its aim is to promote and profile the forest growing industry in a positive light and educate the general public and politicians about the huge value the industry brings to New Zealand and New Zealanders," he says.
Liane Donovan of Donovan PR is managing the campaign on behalf of FOA. "We've used real people to tell the story in three themes: the value to the economy, the environmental benefits and the recreational opportunities," she explains.
During New Zealand's busy travel season, through to the end of March, the messages are being carried on external and internal digital billboards at Wellington Airport and billboards in members' forests around the country, she says. These are being supported by magazine advertisements in Air New Zealand's Kia Ora magazine, NZ Logger and the Sunday Star-Times.
An independent research project was undertaken to help the team understand public perceptions of the forest industry and to guide planning of an ongoing marketing programme. Information about the campaign has been sent out to all FOA and FFA members.
More information at http://nzwood.co.nz