Objective

• To secure statewide and national media attention for the California Forest Products Commission, a coalition of timber companies working to educate the public about California forests and the products that they provide.
• Direct messages to influence a key group of decision makers and California general public.
• Help to raise the awareness of forest products and how intricate they are in our daily lives, as well as to educate Californians about proper environmental forest management.

Method

• Personalized the situation by highlighting small companies in the timber industry.
• Targeted influential media to reach key decision makers.
• Used highly credible spokespersons who had first-hand experiences with forest management and public policy.
• Helped spokespersons address problems being ignored by the current leadership and highlight what must be done to ensure environmental success.
• Given the sensitive nature of environmental protection issues, we focused on something about which all Californians could agree: using sound science to combat climate change, among other strategies.
• Press relations, including regular interviews with radio, television and print outlets.
• Utilized timely events like the Southern California fires of 2003 and 2007 to garner national and local media interviews and stories.

Results

• Obtained media interviews on a regular basis for the commission’s spokespersons, including coverage on local television in Sacramento, Chico/Redding, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, as well as CNBC, CNN, CBS Evening News and Fox News Channel on the national level.
• Secured regular radio interviews for spokespersons, including Sacramento: KFBK-AM and KTKZ-AM, San Francisco: KGO-AM, KCBS-AM, KQED-FM, KSFO-AM and KNEW-AM, Los Angeles: KNX-AM, KFWB-AM, San Diego: KOGO, KPBS, and on a national level CNN radio and Fox News radio.
• Regular print and online interviews with the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Fresno Bee, San Diego Union-Tribune, among many others.
• Positioned proper forest management and forest products as an important issue with key influencers in the media, compelling many to question whether the current forest policy is best.