According to a poll conducted by Farm Market iD and DTN/Progressive Farmer, nearly 90% of farmers fear the coronavirus will hurt their business and 84% have at least some concern that the virus will affect the health of family or friends. When asked about how farmers are changing their current behaviors, at least 50% had taken steps to reduce face-to-face meetings and be more cautious with money expenditures.
Like many other professional groups, farmers feel uneasy and they’re looking for help and reassurance from their advisors and suppliers during this pandemic. With so much uncertainty, they want to know what and who they can count on.
GROWMARK, Inc., a leading ag cooperative in the US and Canada, and its FS member cooperatives wanted to help ease these stresses and reassure customers, and the ag community, that they were fully prepared to navigate them through this uncertain time. Collaborating with GROWMARK, R+K created the Prepared campaign to address customers biggest business concerns – staying connected with their local specialists and impact on product supplies. Anchored with the message ‘Prepared for Times Like These,’ the campaign sought to quickly convey the pro-active position of GROWMARK and FS companies’ capability to address the situation, keeping customers’ businesses running with minimal disruption.
Aligned with current communication initiatives, R+K took an integrated approach to ensure that the Prepared message would reach customers and the ag community.
- Landing pages, detailing the measures put in place to address customers concerns, were created for both corporate websites: com and growmark.com.
- Creative assets were developed and produced for social, display, print and radio. Video and earned media efforts were also created in collaboration with the GROWMARK communications teams.
- R+K media strategies targeted both the Midwest and Ontario geographies, running the Prepared campaign as the only message for the first week and a half in early April, in recognition of it’s timeliness and importance. Given extended shelter in place orders, the campaign continues as part of the messaging rotation through the end of May.
The Prepared campaign has resonated strongly throughout GROWMARK and with FS member cooperatives. It will be woven through the upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting, and key stakeholders in all geographies have commented that these marketing efforts have been spot on for such an unprecedented time in our world.