Award Spotlight: “Trex Makes It Easy”

Building a deck can be overwhelming but, in 2016, Trex set out to make things easier by introducing online tools to guide users through the deck planning process. L.C. Williams & Associates led PR and social efforts to engage consumers and drive them to key resources on the Trex website. The “Trex Makes It Easy” campaign combined proven PR methods executed in fresh ways with strategic influencer partnerships to deliver a record number of media and social impressions. Most important to Trex, the campaign contributed to a 30% YOY increase in traffic to Trex.com, and a 99% increase in engagement with pages that deliver strong conversion and customer leads.

“Make It Easy” served as the thematic foundation for our award-winning program, which focused on elevating Trex as the undisputed leader in the composite decking category and positioning Trex.com as a destination for expert help.

To elevate Trex as the undisputed leader in the composite decking category, we:

• Issued an outdoor living forecast predicting trends from the experts at Trex with links to key resources on Trex.com
• Developed and placed bylined articles on behalf of Trex experts in priority trade journals
• Maintained a consistent presence in influential consumer and trade media outlets
• Maximized Trex’s presence and demonstrated new online tools at trade shows

To position Trex/Trex.com as a destination for expert help and resources, we:

• Enlisted deck building experts and HGTV personalities Paul Lafrance and Kate Campbell to serve as campaign spokespeople (a.k.a. “Trexperts”)
• Partnered with Houzz to conduct a trends presentation featuring the Trexperts during the International Builders Show (IBS)
• Promoted Trex resources in a series of “how-to”-focused pitches and press releases, a Trex-exclusive satellite media tour (SMT), and social content – all strategically linked to purchase indicators on Trex.com
• Engaged influential home/shelter/design media with the online tools during interactive meetings with editorial decision makers from top print and digital titles based in NYC
• Coordinated deck builds with influencers requiring use and promotion of the new online tools
• Planned and executed seasonal social sweepstakes that drove entrants to online resources

As a result of this campaign, media impressions for Trex hit an all-time high of 1.4 billion in 2016, generating 120M+ additional impressions over 2015 and equaling more than $14.4 million in advertising value. Trex secured the most media placements in the decking industry with nearly 1,000 more hits than its closest competitor. From a messaging standpoint, more than 90% of the editorial coverage generated in 2016 can be tied to “Make It Easy” outreach.

Socially, Trex maintained the largest and most engaged brand community in the industry across channels managed by LCWA. The brand dominated social engagement among its key competitors in 9 out of 12 months and retained its position as the industry leader in fans and share of voice. Most notably, social efforts drove more than 43,000 clicks to Trex.com.

The "Trex Makes it Easy" Campaign won a Gold Trumpet from the Publicity Club of Chicago in the category of Marketing - Consumer.