Client:

SD Corn

Industries:

Agriculture

Services:

Strategy and Planning
Creative and Content
Digital Marketing
Audience Engagement
Interactive Development

Corn drives the economy of South Dakota. In fact, nearly one of every three dollars generated by South Dakota agriculture begins in a corn field.

Challenge

The impact of agriculture

Even in a state where agriculture accounts for 30% of all economic activity, many people don’t understand today’s farming practices.

One of the goals of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council is to educate consumers on issues related to agriculture, including economic impact, sustainability, conservation and wildlife and technology.

Building and maintaining trust

Even in a state where many are just a generation or two removed from the farm, a significant number of people don’t understand what they see happening on farms.

Our in-state consumer research shows that while a great majority of consumers have favorable attitudes toward farming, they want to better understand farming practices.

Why is this so important? Misunderstanding can lead to fear and mistrust. There’s plenty of misleading information on farming being spread around, which means it’s critical to set the record straight.

Approach

Telling farming’s story

In marketing, it’s said that if you don’t tell your own story, someone else will—and it probably won’t be to your liking.

This Is Farming doesn’t just tell consumers what farmers are doing. It shows specific farming practices, including cover crops, precision farming and soil health.

The campaign targets consumers in the state’s largest cities, running from late October through early April. Every campaign element sends the audience to the campaign microsite: ThisIsFarming.org.