Marketing strategies of softwood sawmills in western North America

Properly conceived and implemented marketing strategies can have a significant impact on company performance. Little up-to-date work exists regarding the marketing strategies used by the forest products industry in North America. This study investigates the strategies implemented by the softwood lumber industry in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Data were collected from 52 independent marketing units in the softwood saw milling sector (softwood sawmills) via personal interviews. Respondents provided information regarding the product, customer, market area, and competitive advantage components of their marketing strategy. Propositions developed from theory were tested. We found that companies may not fully understand the forces operating in their business environment and may need to better focus their strategies. For example, many respondents pursue multiple product strategies concurrently, a practice that may not yield the best results. When asked about competitive advantages, on average no respondents considered their company to be at a disadvantage compared with the competition. Further refinement of the theory underlying competitive strategy and the measurement of strategy may be needed.

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