Print
E-mailOntario Wood is an educational and consumer promotion initiative of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Working in partnership with Ontario’s wood products producers, Ontario Wood is designed to encourage Ontarians to think about the benefits of “buying local” wood products. One of the key benefits to buying local wood products is that it helps to support the approximately 200,000 people that rely on the industry in more than 260 communities across Ontario.
To achieve its market objective, Ontario Wood communicates the benefits (economic, environmental and product characteristics) of Ontario wood products, encourages consumers to purchase Ontario products, co-ordinates promotion activities with producer organizations and industry stakeholder, and promotes the Ontario "brand". The target group for these strategies is the primary and secondary purchasers in Ontario.
As Ontario Wood develops it will have three primary program themes: brand services, retail services and producer services. These themes will work in a complementary fashion to address a common target market, the primary and secondary purchasers of wood products. In addition to these themes market research forms the foundation of Ontario Wood’s strategic approach. This research is shared actively with clients. Our initial research for the brand was conducted during the winter of 2010 when Angus Reid Public Opinion was commissioned to conduct quantitative and qualitative research among Ontario consumers on their wood buying preferences.
Through the quantitative study we learned that:
The key results of the qualitative study were that:
Ontario Wood brings together industry and consumers. At a glance, consumers will know if the wood product there looking to buy was made in Ontario.
On June 30, 2011 the Government of Ontario launched Ontario Wood and made the logo available to our partners to start using to promote their products. In the coming months and years Ontarians can expect to see the logo more and more frequently when they are looking to buy wood products.
Within brand services we hope to encourage media support for Ontario-produced wood products through the development and distribution of media releases and related products. We will also be building consumer awareness through engaging with Ontarians at various events to promote the logo and make them aware of what it means as well as other promotional mediums.
In addition to these activities the Ontariowood.ca website provides consumers with a single portal that offers timely and relevant information on Ontario’s forests, sustainable forest management practices and forest certification, the forest products industry in Ontario and its products and the general attributes and opportunities for utilizing wood in construction.
For media inquiries please contact us.
Retail services will identify and promote Ontario wood products in retail outlets through the distribution of point-of-purchase material to stores across the province. In the coming months we will be developing an annual retailer awards program to recognize the contribution of retailers to the program. The awards will encourage retailers to showcase Ontario wood products in their stores, using prominent displays and creativity.
Through this theme of the program, Ontario Wood works closely with industry and their associations to share information, encourage co-operation and participation in specific activities and use of the Ontario Wood logo in their own marketing efforts.
This is the symbol of wood grown and milled in Ontario.
It is the commitment made by both industry and government alike to invest in re-forestation for the future. When you see it you’ll know you are buying a local product.
This site is maintained by the Government of Ontario, Canada
© 2012 Queen's Printer for Ontario