Winning the hearts and minds of BASF customers

"Guardians of the Forest" chronicled the lives of landowners, firefighters and foresters who toil every day to conserve America's treasured wilderness. Padilla Speer Beardsley's staff conceived and developed the three-part series of articles, which also served as a vehicle for BASF to showcase its expertise in forestry management.

The articles appeared in Timberlines magazine, one of the publications Padilla produces for BASF. Besides highlighting the heroes of the forest, the articles contained key messaging that supported the use of BASF herbicides - specifically, that preventing forest fires is preferable to fighting them.

The series also helped drive traffic to BASF's Web site by offering free copies of Norman Maclean's book, "Young Men and Fire," which was highlighted in the first installment.

A follow-up survey showed that nearly 70 percent of Timberlines readers visited the BASF Web site as a result of the series. Nearly 85 percent of those surveyed said they consider TimberLines a valuable resource.