Agri Council Intelligence Report : March 2010
New Survey Shows Agri Marketers Have an Optimistic Outlook
Earlier this month, Agri Marketing magazine and American Business Media’s Agri Council conducted a short survey which found that the majority of Agri marketers have a positive view of the Ag economy and their businesses now and believe that sentiment will continue in the next 12 months.
The survey, titled “The Agri-Marketers’ Confidence Index,” was sent to 325 executives of companies that develop and sell products to North American crop and livestock producers. A total of 83 company representatives participated in the poll, including a very wide sampling of large and small enterprises, as well as both crop and livestock-oriented companies.
In addition, the survey found that:
- 60% of Ag marketers feel current business conditions for their companies are positive; while only 15% say they are negative.
- 62% of Ag marketers believe business conditions will be better for their companies in the U.S. agricultural market 12 months from now; while only 6% predicted conditions will be worse.
- 40% of Ag marketers assess the current general outlook for U.S. farmers and ranchers as positive; while only 16% say it’s negative.
- Twelve months from now, 61% of Ag marketers believe the general outlook for U.S. farmers and ranchers will be better; versus 6% who think it will be worse.
- 48% of Ag marketers expect their marketing communications budgets for the U.S. agricultural market to increase one year from now; while 42% indicated they will remain the same.
"We modeled the Agri-Marketers' Confidence Index closely along the lines of the well-known consumer confidence studies regularly reported by The Conference Board and the University of Michigan Survey Research Center," reports Steve Custer, chair of ABM’s Agri-Council Research Committee and EVP of Farm Journal Media.
ABM CMO Mark Rothman said, "We are pleased with the results of this survey which continues to reflect a positive attitude among agri-marketers. We believe that this survey, which will be conducted on a quarterly basis, will provide meaningful information to the ag industry.”
To view the complete results, click here.
New B-to-B Case Study Series Now Available Online
Series, featuring DuPont Crop Protection and John Deere,
confirms power of b-to-b media
Want to know how business information companies are confronting the challenges of the current environment and producing innovative new products, services and campaigns to grow their businesses?
ABM continues to expand its online series of case studies, showcasing the strategies b-to-b media companies are utilizing to achieve their objectives. The newly-categorized series now features case studies on custom media, events, integrated media, SEO, marketing and print.
Two recent additions include a look at DuPont and High Plains Journal’s integrated campaign for the 2009 wheat harvest tour and how Grand CEBA Award-winner John Deere took its face-to-face campaign to the next level to generate major buzz around the unveiling of its 764 high-speed dozer.
Click here to read and download the complete series.
Latest ABM Ad Confirms: Ag Media Pays Dividends
These significant findings, which confirm that today’s Ag markets recognize the power of Ag media to generate business, are captured in ABM’s new advertisement, available FREE for your use. Click here to download a PDF version of the ad, “Ag Media Pays Dividends,” or contact Kate Patton to request any of the various print or electronic banner ad formats (120x600, 300x250, 728x90) for your magazine or Web site. Also feel free to customize the ad with your logo to make it better resonate with your audiences.
Additionally, more findings promoting the power of business media are featured in ABM’s recently-produced sales tool, “The Importance and Value of B2B Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty,” which summarizes the wealth of data that has been accumulated over time. The data clearly demonstrates that companies who either steadily continued or aggressively increased their advertising experienced overall growth as well as continual growth past the period of economic uncertainty.
New Research Says:
Rumors of Print's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
To determine the preferred format of media properties in the b-to-b publication market, Signet Research, Inc. conducted a case study in which responses to ad readership studies for print publications were analyzed. In an effort to test speculation that print’s days could be numbered and short-lived, print subscribers were targeted in particular to determine if they continue to find print a valuable source of information and viable in today’s market.
Cumulative results confirm that print is not dead, but very much alive and well. Of 2,307 respondents, three quarters (75%) selected print as their preferred format, either in print only or a combination of print and a digital/online format, with over half (52%) preferring print only. In comparison, overall preference for a digital edition was 30%, with 14% preferring digital only.
For more information on this research, click here.
Have YOU Taken Advantage of the New ABM Vital Guide?
Through a recent partnership with Vital Business Media’s eMedia Vitals, ABM is proud to deliver the ABM Vital Guide, a free weekly e-newsletter containing high-quality, actionable content on the hottest digital media trends affecting the b-to-b industry.
Each week, the ABM Vital Guide tackles one specific digital media trend or product with the potential to dramatically influence members’ digital revenues. Previous editions have thoroughly covered such issues as audience development, content aggregation, database marketing, online event models, e-newsletters and subscription management. Click here to subscribe now and here to view recent issues.
Upcoming Ag Industry Events
2010 Agri-Marketing Conference
April 21-23, Kansas City
ABM’s Agri Council is sponsoring the Opening General Session on April 22, featuring a keynote address by David Meerman Scott, marketing strategist and author of the book World Wide Rave. Scott will be discussing “The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video and viral marketing to reach your buyers directly.”
Click here for more information.
Ag Media Summit
July 24-28, St. Paul, MN
Click here for more information.
The American Business Media Agri Council Intelligence Report delivers news, research and case studies, both Ag-specific and related to the overall business media industry, to Agri marketers, agencies and media companies. The Report is published on a bi-monthly basis. Visit www.AgriCouncil.com to learn more about ABM’s Agri Council initiatives.
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