Image Marketing – An Essential Component for Agricultural Brand Recognition | AGRO Marketing

Image Marketing in the Agricultural Sector: What to Do for Recognition?

Today, the agricultural business faces a number of important issues that affect performance. These include not only yield and productivity but also logistical and sales challenges. High competition in the domestic market and the difficulty of supplying to international markets require increasing agility and ingenuity from businesses. At the same time, the image and trust in the company, and the country of origin in particular, are always a priority.

AGRO Marketing experts have prepared this material to explain what image marketing is and how it can benefit your business.

Positioning Issues of Modern Agricultural Business in the Market

Before starting their own business, an entrepreneur must clearly understand not only the volume of production but also the target market, i.e., who their potential consumers are. Agricultural products mostly fall into the perishable category, and untimely sales lead to direct losses.

From the consumer's perspective, products from well-known manufacturers are primarily purchased — those that are recognizable. These brands also enjoy higher trust. This means that one way to improve sales could be branding agricultural products.

• A brand is a set of perceptions, thoughts, associations, emotions, and value indicators about a product or service in the consumer's mind. The brand is represented by elements of corporate identity: name, logo, color palette, original graphics, set phrases, sounds, trademark, and more.

If you want to increase brand recognition, you cannot do without image marketing.

• Of course, using this tool will incur additional costs. However, the subsequent increase in the quantity of goods sold and reduction in product wastage will contribute to maximizing profits.

Image Marketing as a Catalyst for Agricultural Brand Development

The term "image marketing" refers to activities aimed at promoting a company to increase demand for its products and achieve a leadership position in the market.

• Compared to other advertising technologies, image marketing, unlike the others, is a "long-distance race" that requires time, substantial financial investment, and long-term effort. This technology is not intended for promoting specific products.

Its goal is much broader and more significant. It is to cultivate a special loyal and trusting attitude toward the brand in a wide target audience (TA), based on unconditional confidence in its exceptional reputation, solidity, exclusivity, and recognition.

Key Methods of Image Marketing

There are numerous image marketing methods that can be applied to shape and strengthen a brand. All of them are based on understanding consumer values and needs, as well as engaging various communication channels to convey the desired image.

Branding

For people to remember the brand and associate it with positive emotions, a set of so-called attributes is necessary. A brand itself is an abstract concept. It is impossible to promote it without symbols, so at the initial stage, a company logo is created, corporate colors and fonts are developed, which will later be used as a refrain.

Brand Mention in Specialized Media

In the media, the company acts as an expert, with its representatives offering opinions on current issues. Direct product advertising is absent, but readers form the impression that the brand has a high rating and a reliable reputation, as its experts' opinions are trusted.

Conducting Socially Responsible Campaigns

Social marketing in the agricultural sector holds significant value. The thing is that people tend to have a more loyal and trusting attitude towards companies that participate in socially oriented activities or even organize them themselves.

Participation in Industry Events

Conferences, exhibitions, and festivals serve as image advertising, albeit disguised. Large agricultural companies organize such events themselves, while others are eager to participate to make their presence known in the market.

Engaging Brand Ambassadors

In this context, the term refers to an influential person within a specific (target) circle who will, whether intentionally or not, promote the brand's products. For example, companies selling sports equipment engage well-known athletes, whose successes are followed and admired by the public.

Storytelling

Agricultural companies aim to visualize their brand to evoke positive emotions. Storytelling, a popular technique, does a great job of achieving this. It works particularly well in videos, where a character shares their story in an engaging way, with a plot, events unfolding, and a happy resolution. Such advertisements are catchy, memorable, and effective in building brand loyalty.

Product Placement

This complex term refers to hidden advertising, for example, in films. Characters wear shoes of a certain brand, drive cars of a specific brand, or buy candies from one manufacturer. In the viewers' minds, these brands become associated with the characters and are remembered.

The choice and combination of image marketing methods depend on your agricultural company's goals, target audience characteristics, and available resources.

Image Marketing to Increase the Competitiveness of Agricultural Products

Brand development in agricultural marketing aims at achieving success in the target market. However, worthy results can only be achieved through painstaking work.

• The company must have not only a corporate style but also a distinctive design for everything that is accessible to potential buyers' perception, including the corporate dress code for employees.

However, this is just a minor external component. Image agricultural websites, high professionalism, and regular participation in socially significant events, regional and international exhibitions, conferences, business meetings, and presentations are of vital importance.

• It is desirable that some of these events be organized by your company. This will serve as additional advertising for your products.

All events must be professionally supported by advertising campaigns, including influencer marketing, publications in media outlets, and social media. This is also an inseparable part of the image strategy. Despite the fact that it usually entails significant expenses, the practical experience of well-known companies shows that it is well worth it.

• Among the variety of image advertising, outdoor advertising occupies a special place as the most accessible. It is placed wherever the target audience is present. It is universal, technically simple, and effective in large cities with dense traffic and human flows.

Of course, outdoor advertising may not feature specific products. But a company logo placed on the T-shirt of a famous athlete, coach, or actor, or on the image of a prestigious car, works on its own.

Case Studies of Agricultural Brands that Became Well-Known and Adapted to Wartime Conditions

Undoubtedly, the war significantly impacted the productivity of the agribusiness sector. Despite all the challenges, many companies managed not only to continue their operations but also to increase their profits. This success was facilitated by their effective image marketing strategy.

Mind, together with the open data analytics system Clarity Project, presented a ranking of the most resilient agricultural companies in 2022. Among them are:

"Oliyar" Company 

One of the largest vegetable oil producers in Ukraine. The combination of several factors — established logistics to Poland, brand promotion, and strong pre-war market positions — allowed the company to withstand and even strengthen its market status in 2022.

Its flagship brand, "Mayola," traditionally represented in the western region, rapidly expanded its presence across the country.

An example of "Oliyar’s" image marketing is its participation in one of the world’s largest food trade shows, GULFOOD 2022, held in the UAE. Thanks to such initiatives, the company has increased its recognition not only in Ukraine but also beyond its borders.

Scedro LLC

A Ukrainian company that has managed to create a popular brand. "Scedro" is known for its sauces — mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard — under the same brand name. For many, it is closely associated with the popular culinary show "MasterChef." This is also an example of image marketing, as the company is constantly in the spotlight, associating itself with culinary masterpieces created by the show’s judges and contestants. These products are trusted by experts, which attracts other consumers.

However, the core of "Scedro’s" business consists of B2B contracts: production of margarines, spreads, and confectionery fats for the food industry. During the recovery of the food industry, by adjusting its marketing strategy and regional logistics, combining the benefits of recognition, the company achieved pre-war performance levels in 2022.

MHP

One of the giants of the agricultural market, MHP remains a prime example of high-quality image marketing, especially through social media. In particular, the brand’s Instagram account serves as a platform where it shares its corporate social responsibility campaigns, achievements, cases, and industry news. Openness to new ideas and a departure from conservative communication standards with the audience are key to its success.

TalentA

Another example of a project straddling social and image marketing is the Ukrainian branch of Corteva Agriscience — TalentA. This educational and grant program helps female farmers improve food security in their communities. Information about the program was spread through social media, the company website, etc., attracting 134 participants. Sometimes, the best advertising for a brand is showcasing its values.

These are just a few examples of successful image marketing in agriculture. In fact, there are many more companies, each with its unique advantages.

 Conclusions

Image marketing plays an important role in the successful development of agricultural companies, contributing to:

• establishing trust-based relationships with the target audience;

• strengthening competitive positions;

• attracting investment;

• adapting to consumer expectations;

• building long-term relationships with clients.

Specialists at AGRO Marketing can help you develop an effective image strategy, ensuring you stay one step ahead of the competition.