Virginia Lumber Supplier Begins Search for Agency
BOSTON--Trex Co., a producer of high-end wood-polymer lumber used in various construction applications, has retained Pile and Co. here to oversee an ad agency search.
The Winchester, Va.-based client, founded as Mobil Chemical Co.'s composite products division but operating for the past few years as an independent company, has no current agency relationship.
Billings were pegged in the $3-5 million range, according to Rick Hooker, a Pile and Co. official. Both creative and media duties are being reviewed, he added.
Hooker referred all other questions to the client. Rachelle Shendow, associate marketing manager at Trex, declined to comment on the review process.
Pile and Co. last week began contacting midsized agencies in New England, New York and the Southeast, sources said.
The review is expected to be completed within four to six weeks.
The winning agency will be asked to create national consumer advertising supporting Trex wood-polymer lumber. The ability to create a strong brand message is essential. The media mix and ultimate scope of the campaign will depend largely on what agencies present in the pitch, sources said.
The resulting work will be Trex's first large-scale advertising push, though it has worked with various smaller shops in the past on some limited marketing efforts, according to sources.
The product itself is a type of synthetic lumber made from waste wood fiber and reclaimed plastics. The company claims that, unlike wood, Trex will not rot or splinter and cannot be damaged by water or sun.
Sold via lumberyards and contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada, the material is used for the construction of residential and commercial decks, playgrounds, boardwalks, landscaping and signage.
Trex products were recently utilized for Toronto's Lake Ontario boardwalk and for the Presidential Trail at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.