Richards Knocks On Faux Wood

Trex Co., a producer of high-end wood-polymer lumber used in various construction applications, has selected six contenders for its estimated $3-5 million advertising account.
Rick Hooker, an official with Pile & Co., the Boston consulting company conducting the account review, said the contenders are: The Richards Group, Dallas, Mullen, Wenham, Mass.; HBRA & Partners, New York; Carmichael Lynch and Campbell Mithun Esty, both in Minneapolis; and Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Warren, Mich.
The six contenders will be cut to an undisclosed number of finalists in the next two or three weeks. A decision is expected in early September, following presentations.
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.
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, sources said.
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 in 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.