RAHC NEWS – February 2022 Update

The RAHC Board of Directors continues to meet weekly, and each week there is progress made on the Real American Hardwood promotional campaign. We are also keeping our finger on the pulse of industry trends and market share opportunities for our competitors, as they help shape the messaging and the evolution of our campaign.

There will be ample opportunities for hardwood industry businesses to see live updates on the campaign, and to talk face-to-face with the RAHC Board members and advisers, as well as ask questions or contribute to the discussion. Presentations on the campaign and information stations are scheduled for each of the following industry events:

• IHLA Convention, February 7-9 Indianapolis, IN
• Ohio Forestry Association Annual Meeting, March 2-3, Columbus, OH
• AHMI Annual Meeting, March 3-6, Hollywood, FL    
• HMA National Conference, March 23-35, Miramar Beach, FL        
• KFIA Annual Meeting, March 29-31, Lexington, KY

We are expecting an early glimpse of the consumer-facing website to be unveiled as early as the IHLA meeting, and a full prototype within the next month. The consumer-facing site will be the most impactful step thus far, as it is the key to getting the message out to consumers. According to our research, it is imperative they be reached during the concept phase of their project decisions. Canvas United is masterful at telling stories, and we couldn’t be more excited to see how they shape the message for hardwoods for years to come.

The coalition has also begun to knock on the doors of the Big Box home improvement chains, to explore ideas for building a presence and awareness of the logo at key consumer touch points. This is a monumental task as the competition for space is fierce, and consumers ultimately drive placement in these arenas.

At the same time, we are intent on utilizing the cost-effective tool of social media to keep this program constantly in front of the right audiences and to get the most possible “bang” out of advertising and promotional dollars.

Finally, we are interviewing potential partners to build a long-term, effective database that meets the needs of the program, from database management, communications and financial management. Many of our member associations also rely on this type of software, so we feel like we have a collective advantage in finding the best fit.

After years of working independently, it is awe-inspiring to see so many associations work together towards a common goal that benefits the hardwood industry.