Amplifying the mission of a consumer giant
As an independent, farmer-owned cooperative and early leader in the organic movement, Organic Valley’s (OV) mission-driven message has been co-opted in recent years by global CPG brands using the “small farmer” image despite practices to the contrary. The real farmers and authentic values behind the OV brand were rapidly losing market share in a sea of “goodwashing” campaigns from corporate conglomerates. Inkhouse knew it was essential to start sharing the story of the brand’s unconventional roots, cooperative business model and how OV’s commitment to small family farms and fighting for stricter organic standards are not just better for animals and the earth, but make better products, too.
We kicked off the engagement by meeting with the farmers to become immersed in the mission of the cooperative. We took a multi-pronged approach to garner the interest of key business, agriculture and consumer media in an effort to tell the real story behind OV. This included an executive visibility campaign for the leadership team via an intimate media dinner, deskside meetings, as well as on-the-ground trade show support to showcase key initiatives and products. In parallel, we identified rapid response opportunities whereby OV could tie their unique POV and authority on organic farming, animal welfare, and the plight of small farms to relevant news. This ensured a steady drumbeat of coverage even in the absence of major company announcements. To simultaneously support awareness with consumers about the quality of OV products, we curated a product PR program that included hand-delivery of holiday themed gift baskets directly to key editors at top-tier consumer publications. Products were accompanied by collateral underscoring the values and mission to set the brand and products apart from the competition.
Shortly after engagement began, we garnered 13 placements ( 400+ syndications), and 20 media interviews resulting in over 475M impressions. In just the first 4 months, we landed coverage in key publications: Bloomberg, AP, Forbes, Progressive Grocer and Food Navigator, NYT, Reuters, & Entrepreneur.
