Setting Up In NAMA Connection Point

Chuck Zimmerman April 14, 2009

ZimmComm is on location at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Cindy and I are just finishing up a little pre-show booth setup. This is where you go to register for an HP Mini Netbook or desktop cube iPod speaker. The NAMA Connection Point will open up tomorrow evening after awards.

When you come in the entrance just look straight ahead to the left of the DTN booth and there we are. While I was in the Connection Point room I interviewed Gary Bates, George Fern Company. They’ve been the NAMA convention trade show service provider for years. He says they really enjoy working with agrimarketers. I can also say that we’ve enjoyed working with them in the 4 years that ZimmComm has been exhibiting at the convention.

You can listen to my interview with Gary here: nama-09-bates.mp3

I’ve already run into multiple student NAMA chapters waiting their turn to compete. They didn’t look nervous at all, just confident.

I’ve already started taking photos and will have an online album started later today. Right now I’m going to try to find the IFAJ/AMS meeting and see what that committee has done without me.

AgWired coverage of the Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by:
and .

NAMA

John Deere Combines Ag & C&CE Divisions

Chuck Zimmerman April 14, 2009

Just when I thought I understood the divisions of John Deere they go and change them. But this is expected to make them more efficient and customer friendly.

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) today announced a new global operating model that will combine the technology, expertise, experience, channels and investments of the Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division and the Worldwide Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division into a single unit called the Worldwide Agriculture and Turf Division, effective May 1, 2009. Through the new operating model, this combined organization will be positioned to achieve the alignment and efficiency necessary to develop a more complete portfolio to meet worldwide customer needs – while reducing overall costs.

Effective May 1, 2009, the Agriculture and Turf Division unit will have two presidents: David C. Everitt, responsible for the tractor product and the turf and utility product platforms; and Markwart von Pentz, responsible for crop harvesting, hay and forage, and crop care product platforms. In addition, Everitt will have responsibility for sales and marketing in the regions that include U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Asia, India, and a portion of Africa. Von Pentz will have responsibility for sales and marketing for the rest of the globe including Europe, CIS, the Near and Middle East and Northern Africa, South America, Central America, and Mexico.

James M. Field, current president of the Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division will continue reporting to Mr. Lane in a new role as senior vice president, Deere & Company, with a focus on identifying additional efficiencies and opportunities across the enterprise.

Agribusiness, John Deere

Gateway NAMA Hosts Mizzou John Brown Scholars

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

Thanks to Brian Reuwee’s phone I got a photo from the Gateway NAMA chapter meeting I missed last week. The chapter hosted the John Brown Scholars of the University of Missouri for a crash course in public relations before heading out to a St. Louis Cardinals game. Almost 60 people attended which would make this meeting one of our largest in a long time.

Osborn & Barr hosted the session and panelists included representatives from Monsanto Public Affairs, Monsanto Social Media Group, Elasticity and Osborn & Barr. looked at crisis communications – both proactive and reactive – and how social media is changing the game. The Mizzou students were asked to share their insights, too.

I see a Facebook and YouTube logo on that screen. Are we talking about anything but social media lately?

Now if we could just get Mizzou NAMA going again . . .

NAMA

Social Media – Beyond The Decision

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

In this week’s program I interview the panel members of the NAMA breakout session I’m moderating at the end of the week – “Social Media DOES Fit in Your Marketing Decision – Moving Beyond This Decision.” The panel members include David Coustan, Vice President, Digital, Edelman Digital, Kyle Flaherty, Director of Marketing and Social Media, BreakingPoint Systems, David Brazeal, General Manager, Learfield Interaction. I also interview David Patterson, John Deere Credit, who is one of the Agri-Marketing Conference planning committee members.

Each of them provide a few of the points that they are planning to make during our session and share how social media has worked for them or a client. I think you’ll enjoy hearing what they have to say and it will whet your appetite for more on Friday morning.

I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who participated in our pre-conference survey. Your remarks are very helpful and interesting. I’ll share a summary of that at the session. I also want to thank Successful Farming and Novus International for sponsoring AgWired coverage of this year’s Agri-Marketing Conference.

For all you Twitter experts out there, please remember to use the #NAMA hashtag this week in your tweets. I’ll be displaying them during the Connection Point hours in the ZimmComm booth and during our session which starts at 9am edt on Friday.

This week’s program ends with music from the Podsafe Music Network. It’s a song titled, “Social Competence”, by Peter Moren. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening.

You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: ZimmCast 215 (23 min MP3)

Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview with NAMA Panel Members - ZimmCast 215

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired which you can subscribe to using the link in our sidebar. You can also subscribe in iTunes

AgWired coverage of the Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by:
and .

Audio, NAMA, Social Networking, ZimmCast

Agricultural FINDERBINDER

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

Last year you got to meet Cory Cart, Agricultural FINDERBINDER here on AgWired.

I’m wondering if any of you have received a copy of the directory and if so what you think. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Media

Curt Blades Promoted To Sales/Marketing Manager

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

I remember him well when he interned for me many moons ago. He was such a promising lad. Glad to see he kept his promise and congratulations Curt! The photo is from the ZimmComm archive at NAMA Boot Camp last year.

Successful Farming announces the promotion of Curt Blades to Sales and Marketing Manager. In his new role Curt will direct and manage all interactive advertising and sponsorship programs online and at www.agriculture.com. This will include providing overall direction for the creation and implementation of integrated marketing programs with the Successful Farming editorial team and sales staff. He will also be responsible for managing and establishing strategic direction for Successful Farming’s research, database, and trade marketing activities.

Curt will continue oversee the Successful Farming direct response advertising efforts, and will maintain an existing client base. He will be a key part of the Successful Farming leadership team in helping to set the strategic direction for the entire business unit of Meredith Corporation.

Curt, his wife Betsy and daughter Halley will be relocating to the Des Moines area.

Media

TractorHouse.com Now Has Live Auction

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

You can now sell your tractor by auction on the web at TractorHouse.com.

Online Auction Listings are now ‘live’ on TractorHouse.com. Consistent TractorHouse advertisers now have the option to auction their equipment to a worldwide buying audience, 24/7/365. All machines are auctioned directly by dealers to registered bidders on the Web site. Seller’s fees are minimal, and there are no auction fees charged to buyers. As a result, equipment can sell for less than at other conventional or online auctions.

“Buyers and sellers both are embracing the concept, even though it’s a fairly new idea to the industry,” says Nate DeWald, project manager of the Online Auction feature. The company reports that over $1 million worth of equipment has been auctioned in just the first few weeks since the feature’s introduction.

The company also has the live auction feature available on their MachineryFinder.com website.

Advertising, Equipment, Media, Tractor

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort April 13, 2009

The 2009 NCCC-134 meeting on Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting and Market Risk Management will take place April 20-21 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Mo.
Veteran database marketer Dave Wilson joins Farm Journal Media as vice president of new business development for the Database Strategies Division. Farm Journal Media Database Strategies also launches a new database menu that offers clients either Farm Journal foundation data (with 100 points of crop, livestock, demographic and psychographic data); the Government Compliance data (Farm Service Administration or FSA) with detailed field-level reporting; or the fully-integrated combination of both databases now called FarmReach.
United Fresh Produce Association President and CEO Tom Stenzel has announced the appointment of Ray Gilmer as vice president of communications.

Zimfo Bytes

Combine Combat in Top 5

Chuck Zimmerman April 13, 2009

Have you played Combine Combat? If so, you’ve played one of the top 5 magazine web games according to minonline.com. Here’s what they said about it:

Years after its release, Agriculture.com’s simple arcade game remains one of the few b2b online games around, and it still holds up. You try to clear a field with your combine before the computer-controlled rival. There are several points of brilliance here. The John Deere-sponsored game uses Deere logos as power-ups and has you collect their new products as bonus points, all the while informing you of their product benefits. And then there is the ambient music (think Terminator for farm equipment) and background bird noises. We need more b2b games with this much attention to detail…and raw combat among professionals. There must be some uproarious game notions lurking somewhere in the minds of waste management or medical device trade publishers.

Successful Farming is sponsoring AgWired coverage of the NAMA Convention this week and I know I’ll have more SF news as the week progresses.

Internet, Media

My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase Race

Chuck Zimmerman April 11, 2009

I saw my first steeplechase races live and exciting today in Monkton, MD thanks to the John Deere Drive Green Utility Tractor Show.

It was a wet and wild day at My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase races. Can you say “mud?” I left after the main race which you can see the winner of here. I got very lucky and was presented a pass to the owners and judges tower right over the finish line.

The race was pretty exciting but I don’t have the winner’s name. If anyone knows they’re welcome to leave it in the comments.

Before the events got started I met and interviewed Turney McKnight, direct of the Manor races since 1978. He says this is the 99th running of the race. He says the race evolved from the horse and buggy days and was a real source of sport. The distance hasn’t changed and is still over 3 miles with 16 jumps. The crowd can be as many as 7,500.

It pretty much rained all day while I was at the races. Turney was one of the first people I met and we sat in his truck to talk. You can listen to my interview with Turney here: drive-green-monkton-mcknight.mp3

I also shot a video clip of the end of the My Lady’s Manor race. You might here my Nikon clicking because I was shooting stills at the same time. I don’t recommend that. But us professionals can handle it!

Post Update: I now have an online photo album with pictures from my day at the races: My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase Races

Audio, Horses, John Deere, Video

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