Download Agricultural Commodity Messaging: A Focus on Assessment and

Research Poster
Agricultural Commodity Messaging: A Focus on Assessment and Evaluation
Introduction and Theoretical and Conceptual Framework
Despite demands on the agriculture industry to feed the world’s growing population,
fewer people are knowledgeable about farm production (Boone, Meisenbach, & Tucker, 2003).
The average consumer is more than three generations removed from the family farm (Arkansas
Farm Bureau, n.d.). Therefore, the need for public support of the industry becomes more
prevalent (Doerfert, 2011). According to the National Research Agenda, consumers require
access to information to make informed decisions about agriculture, food, and natural resources
(Doerfert, 2011). The agriculture industry must effectively communicate with their current and
potential consumers. “The primary role of marketing communications is to engage audiences”
(Hanstén, 2009, p. 8) and to promote an organization through a variety of communication tools.
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is an approach used to communicate the brand and
clear, concise, and consistent messaging to targeted audiences (Marshall & Johnston, 2010). A
message is an “explicit reference to attributes via verbal or visual content” (Laczniak &
Muehling, 1993, p. 328). In the IMC process, it is necessary to evaluate a campaign’s impact
and the effect it has on a specific target audience, or “people whose behavior you wish to affect”
(Weinreich, 2010, p. 9). The campaign’s success is determined by its effect on a specified target
audience, and compares the outlined and achieved campaign goals (Hanstén, 2009; Rice &
Atkin, 2013). Evaluation is essential in establishing campaign effectiveness.
Research has proven that advertising can send mixed signs or messages, therefore, the
company should not solely rely on a third-party communications group to interpret the message
as would the audience (Caywood & Langrehr, 1995). Images are an important part of marketing
campaigns. An image can appear straightforward at first, but different meanings are perceived
depending on how an individual looks at the relationship between elements, and from what
associations are drawn upon or to the emotions the image elicits (Manghani, 2013). The
categorization of images in IMC (Caywood & Langrehr, 1995) provides a conceptual framework
for interpreting connotative and denotative values that can be attributed to Roland Barthes
(Edgar & Rutherford, 2012). The purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate creative
pieces identified by third-party communications group to target four audience groups: animal
agriculture, general public, [commodity] producer, and youth. Promotional items were evaluated
through content and visual analyses to determine key themes, messages, and message accuracy.
Methodology
This study utilized content and visual analyses to analyze creative pieces, in the
communications campaign developed, by a third-party communications group, for a prominent
commodity board in the southern U.S. The campaign was created to reach four target audiences
(animal agriculture, general public, youth, and [commodity] producers) through key themes and
messages. Print materials were analyzed for keywords in context and emergent themes were
identified and compressed (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2006; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) into categories
based on specific coding rules. Visual materials were analyzed denotatively (Lester 2011) and
connotatively to determine associative value of the photo (Edgar & Rutherford, 2012). Once the
content analysis was completed for each creative piece, emergent themes were used to evaluate
the implied message in each piece. The implied message was then compared with the intended
message outlined by the third-party communications group. This process was used to determine
message accuracy for each promotional piece. Inter- and intra-rater reliabilities met or exceeded
minimum standards (70% of interpretations in agreement) (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010).
Research Poster
Results/ Findings
Eleven creative pieces were analyzed in the animal agriculture target audience.
Researchers found that all implied messages matched the intended messages (originally outlined
by third-party communications group) in creative pieces. There were 20 emergent themes and
214 reoccurring themes identified within promotional pieces. The most frequently identified
theme was “promotion of [commodity board],” with 12.15% saturation. Forty-two creative
pieces were analyzed in the general public target audience. Twenty-six of the creative pieces
accurately communicated outlined message; however, six messages did not match the intended
message. There were 27 emergent themes and 965 reoccurring themes identified within
promotional pieces and the most frequently identified theme was “celebrity endorsements” with
15.96% saturation. Thirty-three creative pieces were analyzed in the [commodity] producer
target audience. Eighteen of the 33 creative pieces accurately communicated outlined messages
and researchers only found one implied message that did not match the intended message. There
were 24 emergent themes and 488 reoccurring themes identified within promotional pieces and
the most frequently identified theme was “promotion of [commodity board]” with 18.03%
saturation. Eleven creative pieces were analyzed in the youth target audience. Nine of the 11
creative pieces accurately communicated the outlined message, but researchers found two
implied messages that did not match the intended message. There were 24 emergent themes and
234 reoccurring themes identified within promotional pieces, and the most frequently identified
theme was “how [commodity] is produced” with 13.25% saturation.
Conclusions, Recommendations, and Impact on Profession
This campaign evaluation utilized content and visual analyses and semiotic methodology
to gain insight into print, visual, video, and audio media. Many creative pieces displayed too
many themes and the themes did not accurately represent the intended message. When mass
communication messages are repurposed in identical forms, the result can be oversaturation in
the media and loss of uniqueness (McQuail, 2005). Communications campaigns should spend
time developing simplified, audience specific messages that represent the most important theme
(Weinreich, 2011). It is important to ensure that the content and visual message complement
each other. In addition, two promotional pieces used a commodity picture that did not appear to
be a [commodity] promoted by the board. Agricultural companies should send appropriate
image-based messages to their audiences (Edgar & Rutherford, 2012). Although more than half
of the promotional pieces’ messages were accurate when the intended was compared to the
actual, several pieces from three of the four audiences were identified as inconclusive. Thus, of
the creative pieces a total of 28 messages (out of 89 across three audiences) lacked a means of
evaluating the piece to determine overall campaign success.
The agriculture industry must realize the importance of analyzing images used in
marketing and should use semiotic analysis to determine the audiences’ perception of their
communications efforts (Edgar & Rutherford, 2012). An expert in the field is often used as a
“gatekeeper” for communications efforts (Weinreich, 2011). This individual would be
responsible for reviewing materials for accuracy before promotional materials are distributed to
target audience members. Advancement should continue to progress in visual analysis in the
marketing sector (Tolbert & Rutherford, 2009). Marketing companies should train designers and
photographers to increase awareness of how signs and themes can be interpreted by different
audience members, and designers should possess extensive knowledge about the company they
are representing (Tolbert & Rutherford, 2009; Edgar & Rutherford, 2012). Most importantly
campaign assessment and evaluation should be holistic and ongoing.
Research Poster
References
Arkansas Farm Bureau. (n.d.). Arkansas Farm Bureau - The Voice of Agriculture for Arkansas.
Retrieved September 19, 2013, retrieved from http://www.arfb.com/education-youth/agclassroom/default.aspx
Boone, K., Meisenbach, T., & Tucker, M. (2003). Agricultural Communications: Changes and
Challenges. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing.
Caywood, C. L., & Langrehr, F. W. (1995). A semiotic approach to determining the sins and
virtues portrayed in advertising. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising.
17(1), 33-47.
Doerfert, D. L. (Ed.) (2011). National research agenda: American Association for Agricultural
Education’s research priority areas for 2011-2015. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech
University, Department of Agricultural Education and Communications.
Edgar, L., & Rutherford, T. (2012). A semiotic analysis of a Texas Cooperative Extension
marketing packet. Journal of Applied Communication, 96(1), 15-28.
Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2006). Educational research (8th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hanstén, S. (2009). Defining successful marketing communication: A follow-up of a global
campaign. University of Applied Sciences. Retrieved on January 31, 2013 from
http://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/6324/Hansten_Susanna.pdf?sequenc
e=1
Laczniak, R. N., & Muehling, D. D. (1993). Toward a better understanding of the role of
advertising message involvement in ad processing. Journal of Psychology and Marketing.
10(4), 301-319.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury, Park, CA: Sage
Publications.
Manghani, S. (2013). Image Studies: Theory and Practice. New York, NY: Routledge
Publishing.
Marshall, G., & Johnston, M. (2010). Marketing Management. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
McMillan, J., & Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
McQuail, D. (2005). Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rice, R. E., & Atkin, C. K. (Eds.). (2013). Public Communication Campaigns. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Tolbert, J., & Rutherford, T. (2009). A semiotic analysis of biotechnology and food safety
images in Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. Journal of Applied
Communication, 93(1-2), 6-20.
Research Poster
Weinreich, N. K. (2010). Hands-on social marketing: A step-by-step guide to designing change
for good. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.