Merial has announced that it has selected Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS) as its agency of record. The agency will be handling all advertising, public relations and online efforts for the company’s U.S. large animal business.
The addition of Merial’s large animal business bolsters SHS’s growing list of animal and food-related clients including companies such as Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America, Midwest Dairy Association and Meyer Natural Foods.
The program of work will be handled by Sullivan Higdon & Sink’s Kansas City office.
When you’re doing agricultural work, “growing” is good. Sounds like some new members for Gateway NAMA to me. AdFarm continues to grow alongside their agricultural clientele with the recent opening of their new office in St. Louis in early January.
A number of AdFarm employees already operating remotely in the St. Louis metro area, as well as planned hires, will now work out of the new office located at 353 Marshall Avenue, Suite I in St. Louis.
“This new location is proof of AdFarm’s continued growth and desire to place ourselves close to agricultural centers,” says Bob Wilhelm, Vice President with AdFarm. “We’re working with important clients in the St. Louis region, and we know we have wonderful opportunities for expansion.”
This brings AdFarm’s total number of official locations in North America to five, with other offices in Kansas City, Mo.; Fargo, N.D.; Calgary, Alberta; and Guelph, Ontario.
How many discussions have you participated in about showing consumers how food gets from the field to the plate? I lost count a while ago. There are many groups and efforts going on to accomplish this. Here’s one I just found from the Canned Food Alliance. They’re using YouTube and MealTimes.org.
Canned food is one of the most versatile options for creating affordable, quick and healthy meals especially during colder months. But common misperceptions persist about the canning process. Within hours of harvesting, top quality fruits and vegetables are simply and naturally preserved for convenience and year-round availability, so you can enjoy tropical fruit even during the cold days of winter. Cans are also one of the safest and most recyclable forms of packaging available. Watch “Canned Food From Field to Table” to get the facts from the people who grow, pack, recommend and cook with canned foods.
The video features food blogger Tom Barritt, authto of food blog, Culinary Types, Associate Director of the Food and Nutrition Practice at Ketchum. Interesting combination. Are you a journalist or a public relations person? I don’t care personally and he is transparent about it. Doesn’t bother me. Does it bother you?
Cheryl Muzinic has been promoted to VP, Group Account Manager, at Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications.
Muzinic, who joined Rhea + Kaiser in 2005 as management supervisor, manages strategic development and planning for the agency’s business-to-consumer accounts: DePaul University, Hammes Company and Central Garden & Pet, including Excel Marketing, Gulfstream Home & Garden, Pennington Seed and TechPac, LLC.
“Cheryl has deep consumer experience, drive and an ability to see beyond the expected. Our clients benefit every day from her unique insights into their needs,” said Steve Rhea, president and CEO of Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications. “This promotion recognizes her accomplishments in the growth of our consumer group and her dedication to excellent client service and team leadership.”
After 22 years with the company he co-founded, Osborn & Barr’s Joe Osborn is retiring. He’ll still continue in a consulting role however.
“This is an exciting time for the agency. In recent years, we’ve re-focused our core business, which positions O&B well for current and future growth. I strongly believe the agency’s best days are ahead, and I’m pleased to help in the transition to new leadership,” Osborn said.
Although Osborn no longer will be at the agency on a daily basis, he will continue to counsel on a part-time basis over the next few years. His knowledge and industry experience will continue to be an asset to O&B employees and clients alike.
The O&B executive management team will consist of Barr along with partners Michael Turley (CEO) and Rhonda Ries-Aguilar (CFO). “Both Rhonda and Michael have contributed significantly to our rapid growth and have proven their strategic and management skills,” stated Barr. “They are also in the process of acquiring significant percentages of O&B shares, which will complete the transition of ownership based on Joe’s retirement. I couldn’t be more pleased than to have both Rhonda and Michael assuming day-to-day management and leading the continued growth of O&B.”
Congrats to Colle+McVoy for being named “digital agency” for Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods Division of Land O’Lakes, Inc. The agency will manage the consumer Web site including strategy, creative, production and development.
“We are very impressed with Colle+McVoy’s interactive expertise and technical capabilities,” said Thea Keamy, Vice President Retail Cheese & Marketing Services, Land O’Lakes. “It was imperative that the team we selected resonated with our team, which was apparent with Colle+McVoy throughout the selection process.”
Colle+McVoy will build and maintain landolakes.com, including the LAND O LAKES® Simple Rewards® Club, oversee search initiatives, and provide comprehensive Web analytics support.
Becoming digital agency for the Dairy Foods business of Land O’Lakes is the next chapter in the agency’s transformative growth story. Colle+McVoy’s interactive billings have doubled since 2007 and now account for more than 40 percent of the agency’s revenue. The agency overall has experienced remarkable year over year growth in recent years and expects this momentum to continue in 2010.
The folks at AdFarm want you to create your own, “‘Twas The Night Before . . . ”
It’s a season of giving…
But rather than giving you all a card this year, we thought we’d give you a chance to have some farming fun. Click the link below to enjoy some holiday AgLibs from AdFarm.
http://www.adfarmonline.com/Holiday/
And what about all that money we saved by not printing cards? Well, we’ve donated it to our community food banks.
Pure was known as Pure Marketing & Media. Now the name is purely Pure. The company just announced the launch of a new brand identity built around its exclusive p.u.r.i.f.y.™ brand development process.
The new identity includes an enhanced Web site as well as a dramatic new logo and supporting tag line: Distilling potent brands™.
“At Pure, we believe there’s an underlying reason why many brands are lifeless, stagnant or worn-out,” noted Brent Beshore, Pure’s president and chief executive officer. “They often contain impurities such as false assumptions about one’s market or target audience, unfocused positioning, inconsistent messaging, uninspired creative or ineffective communications channels.
“This is indeed an exciting time for everyone at Pure,” stated Steve Engle, president of Pure Ag—the company’s agribusiness unit. “Unlike traditional advertising and PR agencies, we back our full-service claim with a wealth of internal resources.
Filament Marketing went shopping for some toys and found them.
In an effort to support the local community and share some holiday cheer, Filament Marketing, LLC hosted an afternoon of toy shopping, which raised more than $1,700 worth of toys which were then donated to the U.S. Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
Following the afternoon of toy shopping, participants gathered for a “show-and-tell” reception at a local restaurant before loading the toys up for drop-off at the Madison U.S. Marine Corps Reserve base. Companies represented in the effort included Bovance, Heartland Country Cooperative, Distillery Design Studio, Family Dairies, Horse Shoe Hill Brown Swiss, NMC, SprintPrint, Sunshine Genetics, Trans Ova Genetics, Vance Publishing and the Wisconsin Farm Report, in addition to Filament Marketing.
“This was a fun way to share the holiday spirit,” says Ed Peck, president of Filament Marketing. “We thought this was the perfect year to start this tradition, given the challenging economy. We are proud to represent the passion and commitment agriculture has to all members of our society – especially those in need. We hope to continue and grow this effort each year, going forward.”
Broadhead + CO has landed the cattle brands business for Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica beginning immediately.
Broadhead + Co will provide Boehringer Ingelheim with marketing communications strategy for both dairy and beef industry animal health products, including those newly acquired from Fort Dodge Animal Health, such as Pyramid, Triangle, Cydectin, Today and Tomorrow. These products strengthen the Boehringer Ingelheim biologicals product portfolio and expand product lines into the dairy mastitis market.
Our sponsor for AgWired coverage of the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference again this year was Paulsen Marketing. Perhaps you’re not familiar with this agribranding agency located in Sioux Falls, SD. Well, it’s time to get acquainted in this week’s program.
I spoke with Greg Guse and Bryan Bjerke and we had a great conversation about the agency and their thoughts on digital marketing in this new media world we now live in. One of the things that caught my attention the first time I visited their website was their own use of new and social media. They get it and show it. Kind of gives you confidence that they’ll do a good job for your company, eh? You can read Greg’s “On The Road” blog or follow them on Twitter or Facebook or YouTube or Flickr. I’m sure there’s more but you can see they have the bases covered.
Besides talking about how the agency was started in 1951 and how it has evolved I thought it very interesting to hear how they’re working with clients on new communications channels. For example, they say that clients are surprised at how low the costs are to get started with social media. They also offer some good advice for implementing it into a communications plan like making a commitment to it and staying engaged. They also acknowledge the difficulty with measuring ROI for digital marketing campaigns but with a little effort there are ways to judge how well it’s working for you.
Thanks to AgWired Sponsor, Fluidigm, for their support of the ZimmCast.
You can listen to this week’s ZimmCast below.
The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our a Subscribe page.
Nicholson Kovac has once again documented what agrimarketers know intuitively. This time it’s about veterinarians. The agency just released its Veterinarian New Media Usage Study. It has some interesting findings that should help make marketing decisions using new media easier to justify.
The Veterinarian New Media Usage Study provides comprehensive insight on the use of new and social media among veterinarians – including Internet usage, social networking and mobile phone activities − for business and social purposes.
“This eye-opening research shows that veterinarians are using a number of new tools to communicate with their customers and staff. Many of them send text messages to practice or clinic staff and other veterinarians,” said Sheree Johnson, Nicholson Kovac’s senior vice president, director of media services. “We also found it interesting that text messaging may serve as a customer service tool – a growing number of veterinarians, especially those who work with large animals, are also sending texts to their customers, possibly about the status of their animals.”
Broadhead + Co is opening an office in the nation’s capitol to serve its growing association and government practice.
Tom DiBacco, Broadhead’s Director of Consumer and Government Relations, and a former network journalist based in Washington, DC, will return to familiar territory to lead the effort.
“I’m very excited and honored to be given this opportunity to come home and build upon a lifetime of contacts in a city where I have deep roots,” said DiBacco. “It is the best of both worlds. I’ll be continuing to work for a great agency in a challenging arena at an exciting time in the nation’s capitol.”
Prior to joining Broadhead + Co in 2006, DiBacco helped establish a firm that provided broadcast and interactive solutions to federal government clients. From 1984 to 2000, he was a journalist at ABC News and CNN in Washington, DC. A member of the White House Press Corps, DiBacco traveled extensively with Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton aboard Air Force One.
The Minneapolis-based agency was approved as a federal contractor on the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule in August 2008.
The final panel discussion of NAMA’s Trends in Agriculture “Connecting with the New Ag Community” focused on “Speaking for Agriculture.” The panelists talked about the issues, both environmental and political, that face agriculture. They also shared insights on how to communicate farmer’s values and the value of farm families. Tami Craig Schilling is the Director of Strategic Communications for Monsanto, and a fifth-generation agriculturalist. She spoke about how agriculture can effectively help consumers understand those values.
This is part of the Paulsen Marketing video interview series. They are also the sponsor of the NAMA Blog.
NAMA’s Professional Development Awards of Excellence luncheon honored four NAMA members. Lou Ireland, Pioneer Hi-Bred International was honored in Marketing Communications, Deron Johnson of Rhea + Kaiser Marketing Communications was honored in Public Relations, Gary Robertson of Fort Dodge Animal Health in Product/Species Management, and Pete Weil of High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal in Sales. Each winner spoke about the challenges and opportunities in agri-marketing.
Also at the luncheon the gavel symbolizing the presidency of NAMA was passed from Carol Anderson to Susie Decker.
View a series of snippets from the awards luncheon below:
You can find photos from the awards luncheon in the photo album.
This is part of the Paulsen Marketing video interview series. They are also the sponsor of the NAMA Blog.
Another presenter on the “How Marketers are Building New Community Ties” panel was Joel Jaeger. He is president of the mobile technology provider Commodity Update. He sees significant potential in the mobile market for agriculture, but emphasizes that it should be an element in the blend of social media.
In addition to Commodity Update, Jaeger is also a partner in his family’s farming operations in Colorado and Belize.
This is part of the Paulsen Marketing video interview series. They are also the sponsor of the NAMA Blog.
NAMA Trends in Agriculture Day Two began with a panel on “How Marketers are Building New Community Ties.” Leslie Bradshaw is the Director of Engagement, Public Affairs for Bradshaw Vineyards. She provided insight into the question many farmers and producers have about social media.
Bradshaw is also planning to launch a community and industry-friendly site, www.SocialMediaforAgriculture.com and is seeking input for the site.
This is part of the Paulsen Marketing video interview series. They are also the sponsor of the NAMA Blog.
The afternoon panel discussion at the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference included David Cleavinger, a fifth-generation Texas farmer/rancher. He talked about how producers can use a combination of social media and personal connections to bring greater understanding of the importance of agriculture in their lives. This is part two in the Paulsen Marketing video interview series. They are also the sponsor of the NAMA Blog.
Once again this year I’ll be posting video interviews from the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference produced by Paulsen Marketing. Here’s the first one with our opening keynote speaker, David Kohl.
There’s a new copywriter at AdFarm. He’s Jacob Edenfield.
Jacob has worked on a range of agricultural and business-to-business brands and markets for companies including Monsanto, Intervet/Schering-Plough, United Soybean Board, National Pork Board, Solutia and SFP in his role as Associate Creative Director with Osborn & Barr Communications. His background also includes deep experience across the spectrum of message-delivery tools, including digital and social media.
In his new role with AdFarm, Jacob will be working with clients across the spectrum of agriculture. In addition to copywriting, Jacob will be a key contributor to AdFarm Teams for strategic and message development, concept development, and brand and campaign work.
Commodity Classic took place in Anaheim, CA. You'll find all of Chuck, Cindy and Joanna's photos here.
Exposing HSUS
If you're involved in agriculture then you should become familiar with HumaneWatch.org.
HumaneWatch.org is the work of David Martosko and in this week's program you get to meet him via my phone conversation with him. He's compiling a great online library of information on this group.
Merial has announced that it has selected Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS) as its agency of record. The agency will be handling all advertising, public relations and online efforts for the company’s U.S. large animal business.
When you’re doing agricultural work, “growing” is good. Sounds like some new members for Gateway NAMA to me.
Cheryl Muzinic has been promoted to VP, Group Account Manager, at 
After 22 years with the company he co-founded, 
Congrats to 
The folks at AdFarm want you to create your own, “‘Twas The Night Before . . . ”
Pure was known as Pure Marketing & Media. Now the name is purely Pure. The company just announced the launch of a new brand identity built around its exclusive p.u.r.i.f.y.™ brand development process.
Our sponsor for AgWired coverage of the NAMA Trends In Agriculture conference again this year was 
Besides talking about how the agency was started in 1951 and how it has evolved I thought it very interesting to hear how they’re working with clients on new communications channels. For example, they say that clients are surprised at how low the costs are to get started with social media. They also offer some good advice for implementing it into a communications plan like making a commitment to it and staying engaged. They also acknowledge the difficulty with measuring ROI for digital marketing campaigns but with a little effort there are ways to judge how well it’s working for you.
Nicholson Kovac has 
There’s a new copywriter at 
If you're involved in agriculture then you should become familiar with HumaneWatch.org.
