Stow The Shotguns!!

In Agricultural Marketing...Use a Rifle!

By Michael P. Libbie, Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

A quick thought today about how folks who are trying to reach mid to large size farmers might want to think about their advertising and marketing plans.

This week I am wandering the isles of the Iowa Power Farming Show held annually here in Des Moines.  It is the very best farm show in the Midwest with hundreds of displays and thousands of visitors.  And, it is something in those numbers that caught my eye.

I met lots of "farmers" who really work in town or have other business interests than farming.  Forest, a new friend, owns several bike shops (Go BIKE WORLD where my wife, a cross country biking lover, goes.) and another works at Principal Financial and yet another drives truck.  They all consider themselves "farmers" to a sense.  But would my short-liner friends at Kinze or Landoll or Brillion or Feterl really want to market to these guys?  Nope...but they do.

You see, here in Iowa there are about 25,000 farmers who really drive the market.  (Iowa has a population of 3 million and what the USDA calls "farms" of 68,000.)  These 25,000 folks are "full time" farmers who have as a sole income farming and have gross sales of over 1 million.  Remember, USDA says anybody who has sales over $1,000 is a farmer!  My point here is EVERYBODY ALREADY KNOWS WHO THESE 25,000 FARMERS ARE!!!!!!!!!  Yet as short-line manufacturers they spend thousands of dollars each month advertising in a "shotgun" approach.  Why?  The ads look nice? 

This is a deep and interesting topic that needs more room than I can post here...but it is worth thinking about.  Agriculture is changing, perhaps more quickly, than any other segment of our country.  Let's change our advertising and marketing to maximize our return on investment. 

More to come...see you at the show!

Comments

[Nwestia]

Isn’t it strange that an industry that has embraced technology so well in production issues has basically maintained the same marketing structure that has been in place for years. Not so many years ago, when the number of farmers meant something in a national election “farms” dotted the countryside and production was for their own utilization as well as for a few others. Marketing in one of the major publications or placing a commercial on TV during the Girl’s State Basketball Tournament got you some attention.

However when the consolidation of Agriculture began, by the way which also came about because of ineffective marketing practices (another time), and the dreaded corporate farm industry was born there remained this vast number of subscribers and viewers who although they were now not farmers, still remained vocal and interested in Agriculture. So, back then, when Mr. Short Line called their agency (maybe you guys didn’t exist then) or went directly to Capper’s Farmer they were assured the subscribers, listeners or viewers were farmers; think that’s true today in that publication that says it’s a farm magazine circulating to 300,000? Nope and that’s shotgun marketing with field load. You know that reminds me wasn’t it Capper’s Farmer that used all the urban subscribers that had and marketed them as “farmers” and then a major advertiser found out and they went belly-up. Hmm tell me how that is different than publications today that include subscribers who have been with them 20, 30 even 40 years and then find out these folks are retired or displaced.

Sorry off the subject a little.

In the end Michael I think it is education and finding a willing student. Does the marketing sector really want to take the time to provide quality relevant marketing advice to this market sector and then does the sector want to learn? Or is it just easier to re-load?

Two-cents.

[Michael Libbie]

Yep...you have "touched on" the much longer version of the post. I fear the answer for many is the ease of "re-loading" rather than taking the time and learn and do better. Thanks for reading!