The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) recognized Padilla with the Best of Show – Public Relations award during its 2021 Agri-Marketing Conference and Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony in Kansas City.
NAMA is the agriculture industry’s largest professional development organization and awards are highly coveted by clients and agencies alike. Padilla with Sound Agriculture received Best of Show in the category: Overall PR Program – Directed to Farmers, Growers, Ranchers or Others Serving Agribusiness.
Learn more with the video case story and campaign summary:
Farmers have heard every pitch for products promising higher yields. The already-saturated inputs market, combined with unsupported claims from recent newcomers, has caused skepticism among farmers. When a new product hits the market touting more bushels or healthier soil, it takes convincing for farmers to adopt.
Being the “new kid on the block” in agriculture is challenging, too. Farmers tend to remain loyal to the brands and products they know and have used for years.
Sound Agriculture came onto the scene with a different approach compared to traditional ag companies. Sound helps farmers tackle some of today’s biggest farming challenges, enabling sustainability across the agriculture value chain. Sound’s first product, SOURCE, is unlike any other product on the market, working in the soil where it activates beneficial microbes at the root zone – tapping into the soil’s full potential and ultimately reducing a farmer’s reliance on fertilizer.
Leading up to SOURCE’S launch for the 2020 season, Sound discovered farmers’ appetite for science, a pillar of the company’s innovative approach. Farmers want to know the science behind the products they use.
Sound and Padilla worked together to launch SOURCE. Based on research findings, Sound and Padilla developed compelling messaging, ramped up the digital experience and executed a multi-channel communication campaign – including paid, earned, shared and owned media – to introduce SOURCE to the ag world. The following manifesto led our communications strategy: “When science and modern innovation take hold, it leads to a more environmentally sound solution for better production and more efficiency. It’s not magic, just science.”
SOURCE sold out for the 2020 growing season, reflecting the success of Sound and Padilla’s efforts, and setting Sound up for success with future product launches. Since launch, overall web traffic increased by 245% compared to the previous year. Media coverage helped spread the news, generating 257 stories and 133 million+ impressions.
View the complete list of the 2021 Best of NAMA award winners at NAMA.org.
About Padilla
Padilla is an independently operated, globally resourced public relations and communication company with offices across the United States. The agency builds, grows and protects brands and reputations worldwide by creating purposeful connections with the people who matter most through public relations, advertising, digital and social marketing, investor relations and brand strategy. Padilla includes the brand consultancy of Joe Smith, the food and nutrition experts at FoodMinds, and the research authorities at SMS Research Advisors. Clients include 3M, Avocados From Mexico, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Dole Food Company, Mayo Clinic, Prosciutto di Parma, Rockwell Automation, Sanofi Pasteur and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. Padilla is an AVENIR GLOBAL company and is a founding member of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, a partnership of 132 independently owned partner offices in 115 cities on six continents. Connect with purpose at PadillaCo.com.