Another one of the booths I visited at the recent NAMA Convention Connection Point was Fastline. Participating in this interview are Bill Howard, Publisher, Matt Coniglio, National Accounts Manager and Joe McWilliams, VP Sales and Marketing. Learn all about the company and publication. They’re celebrating 30 years this year!
This is one in a series of interviews we conducted in partnership with AgriMarketing Magazine and exhibtors in the NAMA Connection Point.
This past week we did some new media training here at ZimmComm World Headquarters. My Mac looks great on a 42″ Plasma.
John, Laura, Michelle, Cindy and Chelsea all watched as we went through the new version of WordPress and discussed posting policies and our new live video application.
In light of some of the latest news on how big the blogging business is getting I think I need to train me an army.
A good time was had by all. Cindy took the picture btw.
Remember back almost 4 years ago when you first heard about new media (blogs and podcasts) being used in agriculture? You know where, right? Well that “fad” has certainly become much more mainstream than many thought it would.
My favorite place to keep up with what’s going on in my new media world is eMarketer. They’ve got a new report out, “The Blogosphere: A Mass Movement From Grass Roots,” which has some interesting information. Here’s a couple of excerpts:
More importantly, by 2012, more than 145 million people—67% of the US Internet population—will be reading blogs at least once a month. That is up from a readership of 94 million in 2007, or 50% of Internet users.
“A big factor driving the increases is the niche orientation of the blogosphere,” says Mr. Verna.
Like podcasts, blogs tend to appeal to specific audiences. Accordingly, much of the demographic targeting that marketers work so hard to achieve in the mainstream media is already done for them.
“Furthermore,” adds Mr. Verna, “the rates at which blog readers notice and click on ads suggest that they are a well-primed audience.”
Where are you placing your advertising these days? Same old, Same old or . . . . . .
During the recent NAMA Convention I visited with Bob Van Voorhis, Associated Ag Publications. In the following interview with him we talk about who they are. They’re connected with Farm Bureau and Bob discusses why that relationship is special. Bob also talks about their coverage and audience using words like, “ruralpolitan.”
This is one in a series of interviews we conducted in partnership with AgriMarketing Magazine and exhibtors in the NAMA Connection Point.
Mark August 12-14 on your calendar if you haven’t already for NAMA Boot Camp ver. 5.
The NAMA office is expecting about 125 to attend this year’s program and sponsorships are available.
The program will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, our Kansas City NAMA home. Online registration is available.
One of the booths that I got to conduct an interview in during the NAMA Convention was the DTN and The Progressive Farmer booth. In it I spoke with Adrian Blake, Publisher, who helped me understand the editorial focus of DTN and their publication. In the interview you’ll hear him talk about what make them different and how advertisers can benefit from the multiple channels they offer.
This is one in a series of interviews we conducted in partnership with AgriMarketing Magazine and exhibtors in the NAMA Connection Point.
During the BASF Media Summit there were several breakout sessions like the one presented by Paul Rea, Director, BASF Specialty Crops. Attendees got to choose one and I picked Paul’s. He spoke of new products, including Clearcast herbicide and flexible product packaging for the pest control, vegetation management and turf and ornamentals markets. I was interested to see several of the journalists I had just met the week before in Minneapolis at the TOCA meeting.
You can listen to and download the first 10 minutes of Paul’s remarks here: 
Paul Rea Remarks (10 min MP3)
Or listen to them here now:basf-media-summit-10.mp3
AgWired coverage of the BASF Media Summit is sponsored by:
Dr. Hans Kast, President/CEO, BASF Plant Science Holding GmbH, spoke at this week’s Media Summit about plant biotechnology and the work the company is doing in R&D. Picture courtesy of Carl Cox Photography.
On the subject of plant biotechnology, Dr. Hans Kast, President and Chief Executive Officer of BASF Plant Science, indicated that the research and development focus for BASF Plant Science is concentrated in three areas – more efficient agriculture, renewable raw materials and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. “BASF Plant Science has a unique technology platform to support our gene discovery work in these areas,” said Kast. “It combines phenotypic screening with high throughput metabolic profiling to determine gene function, which has led to a broad and diversified early stage pipeline of lead genes.”
You can listen to and download his remarks here: Dr. Hans Kast Remarks (15 min MP3)
Or listen to them here now:basf-media-summit-9.mp3
AgWired coverage of the BASF Media Summit is sponsored by:
Marcus Heldt is Group Vice President, North America, Crop Protection Division, for BASF. He spoke at this week’s Media Summit about how the company is putting innovative knowledge gained in marketing to one crop area to use in targeting other market segments.
BASF is also building on the leadership and success of its Plant Health platform with Headline fungicide. “Headline has clearly established a solid track record in field crops over the last four years with its Plant Health benefits. So much so, that more than 10 million acres of corn and soybeans were treated with an application of Headline in 2007,” said Markus Heldt, Group Vice President, North America, BASF Crop Protection. Now, Heldt said, BASF is leveraging the expertise developed with Headline in field crops for the benefit of other sectors such as turf and ornamentals and fruit. He pointed to the Plant Health work currently underway in the organization’s turf and ornamental business and the potential for Plant Health to play a significant role in addressing issues, such as product shelf life and water restrictions for the ornamental plant production and golf course industries respectively.
You can listen to and download his remarks here: Markus Heldt Remarks (21 min MP3)
Or listen to them here now:basf-media-summit-8.mp3
AgWired coverage of the BASF Media Summit is sponsored by:
One of the questions I get asked very often is, “How can you make money with new media?” If you read AgWired often then you probably have a good idea of some of the ways that can happen.
But let’s say you’re a membership organization like the Appaloosa Horse Club and you’ve got a blog. What can you do with it besides use it as one of the most effective communications tools you’ve got? Sell sponsorships!
That’s what the ApHC has done. You can see Featherlite Trailers is one of their sponsors of Appaloosa Blog Spot. Now if that’s not cool then I don’t know what is. We built their blog and did some initial training and they’ve take off with it. It’s got great regular content, including some event content I still produce for them a couple times a year. I’m sure Steve Taylor would be willing to share his experience as a CEO blogger with you.
