Brand Name Development and Architectures in the North American Wood Fiber-Plastic Composite Industry

In response to consumer demand for low maintenance and durable timber construction, increased environmental regulation of preservative treated lumber, and manufacturers employing push/pull marketing strategies, the North American wood-fiber plastic composite (WPC) industry has seen significant growth in the last decade. As consumer demand has grown, the number of manufacturers producing decking, railing, fencing, and a multitude of other WPC products has also grown. Today the WPC marketplace is defined by a myriad of product offerings differentiated on a wide array of product and service attributes. This myriad of product offerings has triggered a marketplace that is now defined by its branded offerings. Understanding the importance and benefits of employing well managed brand strategies, this study investigates the brand name development, brand architectures, and brand strategies employed by North American WPC manufacturers in the Fall of 2008.Using data collected through secondary sources and semi-structured interviews (response rate of 60.9%), all WPC brands in the Fall of 2008 were identified and subsequently each manufacturers brand-product matrix was categorized according to a brand architecture scheme. The findings indicate that WPC manufacturers perceive branding as an important marketing tool and utilize a wide array of resources when developing brand names. It was also found that product identification was the largest perceived benefit of employing brand strategies and that the proliferation of brand names that exist in the industry is largely a result of the proliferation of manufactures and the ability to differentiate product offerings. Moreover, a comparison between a firms architecture fit (branded house, mixed house, or house of brands) and firm size (small vs. large) showed significant differences among firms perceptions on various branding benefits.