AUSTRALIAN Wool Innovation plans a change in its marketing direction and a return to the generic promotion of wool.
Acting chief executive Stuart McCullough has confirmed that 10 overseas marketing agencies had been invited to submit proposals on how wool could be promoted.
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The deadline for the submissions was Monday.
Mr McCullough would not be drawn on whether the agencies had been briefed to develop generic advertising.
"If you think we are going to erect a billboard in New York telling the world that wool is great, I can say that is a categorical no," he said.
He said it was difficult to say how much AWI would invest in this marketing program.
"Ideally, we would like to cover the three markets - Europe, North America and China - but a lot will depend on what funds we have available" he said.
On current estimates, AWI will have about $26 million if it sticks with the revenue split of 30 per cent for on-farm research, 20 per cent for off-farm or textile research and 50 per cent for marketing.
Mr McCullough said he was unable to disclose whether the UK-based Keep agency had been invited to submit a proposal or whether all 10 agencies had provided submissions.
Keep was the agency commissioned by AWI early last year, at a cost of $350,000, to develop marketing proposals for the Woolmark label.
The wool industry's last big investment in generic promotion was the $70 million European Red Dress television campaign of the mid-1990s.
Its failure to boost wool prices was a trigger for a no-confidence vote in then Australian Wool Research and Promotion Organisation.
The move back to generic advertising programs defies the business-to-business-to-consumer marketing programs outlined in the WoolPoll ballot.
The model was supported by former chief executive Brenda McGahan.
The Weekly Times understands that a return to generic advertising and invitations to the 10 agencies was initiated at a board meeting in late December.
It also appears this switch gave rise to Ms McGahan's frustrations with the board and her subsequent resignation two weeks ago.
Under the leveraged marketing programs, AWI would provide up to $250,000 to manufacturers, retailers and brands that promoted wool apparel.
The Weekly Times also understands the move back to generic advertising was partly due to a reluctance of business-to-business-to-clients in the US and Europe to sign up.
The reluctance is due to AWI's decision last year to abandon support for the industry-agreed December 2010 deadline to end surgical mulesing.
