The Building Materials Resource Center (BMRC), a Mission Hill non-profit organization that makes donated building materials available to low- and moderate-income homeowners and the general public, announced on Aug. 31 it is launching its first-ever general newspaper advertising campaign, with the help of a Jamaica Plain advertising firm.
The new campaign, targeting readers of local neighborhood newspapers, will run for six weeks beginning Sept. 13 and again in the spring.
A continuing outreach program placed on MBTA trains urges potential donors to contribute materials with the slogan: “Don’t Throw It Away—Donate.”
Focusing now on a different audience—potential buyers of materials—the newspaper campaign will feature various items used for home improvement along with the product features and the low, BMRC price.
“We wanted to invoke the feeling of a treasure hunt with this campaign, because there are so many great, random things that can be found at the center,” said Tim Carlson, a partner with JP advertising firm Oxygen LLC. “Showing the high-quality materials that can be had for such low prices gives us the ‘wow factor’ that will capture people’s attention.”
Many BMRC customers reside locally, and the intent of the advertising campaign is to expand the center’s customer base and encourage new customer growth. With construction projects popping up all over the city, BMRC members hope that this campaign will also spark the interest of local contractors and homeowners who are able to donate surplus and high-quality used building materials. This campaign will run in both Spanish and English.
“Our goal is to increase the number of customers from the 1,300 we served in 2006 to 1,400 in 2007, and then 1,600 customers by 2008”, said Deb Beatty Mel, assistant director of the BMRC. “This will help our organization grow and further advance our social mission of providing affordable materials to low- and moderate-income people.”
Funding for the campaign is provided by the Great Bay Foundation, located in Portland, Me. One of the first Massachusetts nonprofit organizations to receive funding from the Great Bay Foundation, the BMRC received monies last year that allowed them to conduct the market research study that became the strategic foundation for this advertising campaign.
The BMRC is a building materials reuse project that accepts donations of good quality used and surplus building materials to sell at reduced prices. It also offers a wide range of homeowner support services such as workshops and home-improvement classes. The center’s goal is to support homeowners in the affordable repair and care of their homes, as well as to reduce the construction industry’s burden on the solid waste stream by diverting good materials from landfills.
Founded in 1993, the Resource Center is located on Terrace Street, near Roxbury Crossing T station, just off Columbus Avenue. For more information, see www.bostonbmrc.org.
From a Building Materials Resource Center press release.