Bringing a Global Agribusiness Leader’s Value Proposition to Life

DKY worked with the ADM Farmer Services marketing team to curate and tell compelling stories of how the company serves an often-misunderstood customer audience: North American row crop farmers.

ADM    |    Content Marketing Initiative

ADM producer

Faces of Food logo

SITUATION

ADM is a global player in agriculture and food markets, buying and trading grain grown on fields around the world, as well as transforming it into ingredients used in a range of consumer products. As the source of the grain that serves as the first link in the food value chain, farmers are vital to ADM’s business.

However, the relationship between ADM and farmers has historically been transactional. Grain origination teams had a tendency to see their role as order processors rather than as trusted business partners. ADM recognized it needed to take steps to deepen those relationships and demonstrate to hard-working farmers that their local ADM representative viewed them as more than a name on a grain contract.

Three men smiling at the camera

SOLUTION

As a first step, DKY conducted extensive primary research to gain more accurate and detailed insights into how U.S. row crop farmers think and feel, focusing on sustainability, ag tech, and working with ADM as a grain buyer.

Based on those insights, DKY recommended a new film series called Faces of Food to celebrate producers and their relationships with ADM. The series would:

  • Tell authentic stories that elevate the farmers and the ADM teams who serve them
  • Advocate for farmers by showcasing their dedication and contributions to feeding the world
  • Inspire and inform ADM’s CPG customers and the general public to think differently about farmers and their stewardship of the land
  • Celebrate and showcase exceptional relationships of service and trust between farmers and the ADM origination team

Watch all the Faces of Food film episodes here.

THE BIRTH OF A CONTENT MARKETING PLATFORM

More than just film stories, Faces of Food has evolved into an integrated, omnichannel content platform encompassing multiple channels and storytelling formats. Authentic stories of the people who feed the world have reached a wide variety of audiences through:

  • Dedicated content hub on ADMAdvantage.com
  • Newly-launched ADM Farmer Services YouTube channel
  • Ongoing engagement via organic social media
  • Paid social media campaigns to extend reach
  • Earned media outreach to drive local and national coverage
  • Targeted distribution via email and text messaging
  • Story content support for customer events and trade shows
  • Employee training content to inspire better customer relationships
Behind the scenes of DKY film crew filming faces of food

“These are so well done –  congratulations! I may be biased from a subject/content perspective, but from a storytelling and relevance standpoint, these are the best videos I’ve seen ADM do.

Whoever worked on them should be commended. Watching these makes me proud. Really great job. I look forward to seeing the next episode!!!”

– ADM Global Product Marketing Director

“What a home run feels like to me. Kudos to you, too, DKY! Thanks so much for your continued help on this.”

– ADM Product Line Marketing Manager

RESULTS

Since its launch in 2022, Faces of Food has helped shed light on the hard-working individuals who help feed the world. Each episode features a different farm family, their challenges, and their unique approach to growth, innovation, and success.

By amplifying producer voices, Faces of Food provides a compelling look into the hard work and passion producers have for growing crops, raising livestock, and conserving land for future generations.

Building on its initial success, Faces of Food has grown into an ongoing series.

Season 1 focused on how family, community, and perseverance help producers address the challenges that come with feeding the world.

Season 2 highlighted the business of farming, featuring producers who rely on innovation and teamwork as they try to preserve their legacies by keeping their operations healthy and strong.

Season 3 provided intimate portraits of three farm families dedicated to preserving land, soil, and prosperity for the next generation of American farmers.

Season 4 is scheduled for release in September 2024.

Man and Woman in conversation

Faces of Food has been enthusiastically received by farmers and ADM, and the impact speaks for itself:

  • 2m+ users reached across all channels
  • 100+ hours of cumulative content hub engagement
  • 1,200+ hours of cumulative YouTube watch time
  • CPC 88% lower than Facebook benchmark for paid campaigns
  • CTR 3x higher than YouTube average for video ads
  • Award-winning campaign claiming first place at Best of NAMA

 

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two ADM producers and and ADM representative