Agricultural equipment maker Case IH has launched a new television, print and online advertising campaign. The investment by the company and its dealers represents a tenfold increase over recent marketing initiatives. The campaign, which spotlights Case IH’s total commitment to farmers, aims to cement the brand as the farmer-focused agricultural equipment manufacturer and claim market share from rival brands.

“We don’t make backyard mowers – just tractors, combines and other agricultural equipment for professional producers,” said Duane Nelson, Case IH director of global branding and marketing. “If you go to work with a Case IH logo on your shirt, you think about farming all day long, you listen to farmers and you work alongside them to maximize what they can control in the field. This campaign won’t leave a doubt in anyone’s mind that Case IH is the equipment maker that puts farmers first.”

‘Will You Be Ready?’

Farmers face both enormous opportunities and daunting challenges in the years ahead. One visually arresting ad, stamped on Case IH’s trademark plate, asks the question, “Over the next decade, there will be more than 1.2 billion new people to feed. Will you be ready?” Farmers and Case IH are working alongside scientists and development experts to increase food production 50 percent over the next two decades. Their success will determine whether those who suffer from hunger — 1.02 billion people, according to 2009 United Nations statistics — increase or decrease in number. Products like Case IH’s Axial-Flow®combine help farmers harvest higher-quality grain and leave less in the field, and Case IH will continue working with farmers to innovate for the challenges ahead.

Other issues the campaign raises include:

  • Government regulation. As stewards of the land and suppliers to the world’s pantries, farmers face a staggering array of environmental, health and safety regulations. Case IH works hand in hand with farmers to help them comply, do what is best for the environment and manage profitability during times of regulatory change. From 2011 to 2014, the EPA will begin phasing in new emissions requirements, dramatically reducing allowed emissions for farming equipment. Case IH’s Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology helps farmers meet these new regulations and do what is right for the environment – without losing horsepower or performance in the field.
  • Pressure on available land. As urban centers expand and economies grow, less land is available for farming. Meanwhile, population growth and biofuel production are putting additional demand on grain supplies. Farmers must find new technologies and methods to produce more food, fiber and energy, using less land. For example, Case IH’s AFS AccuGuide™system, factory-installed on every Magnum™tractor, allows farmers to manage their fields with pinpoint precision down to the sub-inch.  

Campaign Expands to New Media Frontiers

Past Case IH advertising has run primarily in agricultural trade journals. The new campaign includes targeted national support for the brand through a television buy and Internet banner ads. The campaign also features direct mail and new dealer tools.

“Farmers have been telling us for a long time that they are avid consumers of information,” Nelson said. “This campaign targets farmers when and where they seek information that will help them make better decisions in the field. A Weather Channel partnership and banner ads on AccuWeather are just two examples.”

The campaign’s website at CaseIH.com/BeReady features a wealth of articles and resources on population growth, governmental regulation and the challenge of growing more on less land. “As the campaign matures, the Be Ready website will become a public forum where leading researchers and leading producers can discuss the biggest issues facing agriculture,” Nelson said.

The new branding campaign was developed by Case IH’s advertising agency of record, Cramer-Krasselt/Milwaukee.