In 1962, the wood products industry faced a real threat from makers of vinyl and linoleum products, so the National Lumber Manufacturers Association tried to convince homeowners that wood was part of a "smart lifestyle," according to writer Robert Klara. Fast forward to today and it turns out consumers don't really need to be inspired to like wood anymore-they just need to be reminded of how beautiful it is through great photography.
In 1962, the wood products industry faced a real threat from makers of vinyl and linoleum products, so the National Lumber Manufacturers Association tried to convince homeowners that wood was part of a "smart lifestyle," according to writer Robert Klara. Fast forward to today and it turns out consumers don't really need to be inspired to like wood anymore-they just need to be reminded of how beautiful it is through great photography.
Klara shared these thoughts in a recent Adweek article that compared the 1962 ad with a present-day ad from Mirage/Boa-Franc (Saint-Georges, Quebec). "Come ahead to 2011, and wood is once again center stage of an advertisement, but the reasons behind it have changed," he writes of the Mirage ad. "Fatigue over the prevalence of plastics and the concomitant rise of the green building movement now mean that people don't just know about wood interiors, they lust after them. The Mirage ad does not educate; it indulges a vision that's already there."
The full comparison can be read here.
