Choose Forest Friendly
How BAM Turned Earth Day Into a National Retail Merchandising Event by Connecting a Paper Products Brand to Local Tree Planting — One Purchase at a Time
The Challenge
A paper products brand had a genuine and differentiated sustainability story to tell — but needed a platform that could translate environmental commitment into retail sales impact. With Earth Day as the anchor moment, the brand wanted a promotion that would resonate authentically with millennial and Gen Z consumers, earn meaningful retailer support, and deliver measurable results beyond brand awareness alone.
The challenge was building a program with enough local relevance to excite individual retailers while operating at national scale.
The Approach
BAM identified tree planting as the ideal cause vehicle — tangible, community-rooted, and universally appealing across demographics and geographies. We negotiated a national sponsorship with an organization dedicated to planting trees in communities across the country, securing a cost of just $1 per tree planted — making the program financially accessible without compromising its impact.
The result was a national Earth Day retail promotion with a simple, powerful mechanic: every product purchased plants a tree in the shopper's local community. The cause connection was immediate, personal, and verifiable — exactly what millennial and Gen Z consumers demand from the brands they support.
To maximize local retail excitement, BAM executed a dedicated media event for each participating retailer on tree planting day, giving store managers, regional buyers, and local press a tangible, photogenic moment that brought the promotion to life in their specific community.
BAM Services Provided: Sponsorship Research & Procurement · Sales Training & Retail Presentation Materials · Point-of-Sale Materials · Public Relations Support · Program Fulfillment & Measurement
The Results
🌳Trees planted in local communities tied directly to product purchases nationwide
🛒Earth Day transformed into a national retail merchandising event for the brand and participating retailers
📣Local media events executed for every participating retailer on tree planting day
💚Strong resonance with millennial and Gen Z shoppers prioritizing socially conscious brands
🏪Widespread retailer enthusiasm and incremental merchandising support across participating locations
Why It Worked
The Choose Forest Friendly promotion succeeded because it solved a problem for everyone in the chain simultaneously. The brand earned a credible, differentiated sustainability platform. Retailers earned a community story and incremental display support. Local media earned a visual, feel-good event. And consumers earned the ability to make a tangible environmental impact through an everyday purchase decision.
At $1 per tree, the program also demonstrated something critically important for sustainability marketing: doing good and doing well financially are not mutually exclusive. BAM structured the program so that the cause investment was directly proportional to sales — the more product sold, the more trees planted, and the stronger the community impact.
For paper products brands in particular, a tree-planting initiative carries unique authenticity. It directly addresses the raw material conversation that category critics raise, transforming a potential vulnerability into a compelling brand strength.
Ready to build a sustainability platform that drives both community impact and retail sales? Contact BAM to learn how we can connect your brand to a cause that resonates with today's most influential consumer demographics.
