WHAT'S NEW WITH BAYER CROPSCIENCE PRODUCTS
Real growers take spotlight for InVigor
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rowers across Canada may recognize some familiar faces in a new advertising campaign for InVigor® hybrid canola and Liberty® herbicide from Bayer CropScience. Real farmers are featured front and centre in the spots, which cover a range of outlets from billboards and print media to television and online display. Drive down the highway and you might see the beaming face of Steve Winkler of Langdon, Alberta – “The smile says everything.” Open a magazine and you might find Vulcan, Alberta’s Bill Irwin and Hussar, Alberta’s Leanne Muller – team players and “Unsung heroes.” Turn on the television to see brothers Ron and Scott Tibble of Swan River, Manitoba, or Jeff Prosko of Rose Valley, Saskatchewan. These are just a few of the many InVigor growers showcased in the ads. The rationale is simple. After 16 years of record-setting yields and industry-leading performance, the quiet confidence of an InVigor grower isn’t something that takes Hollywood magic to capture. It’s a peace of mind that comes with using the product and getting results, year after year. The smile says everything Using real canola growers didn’t come without risk. After all, it depended on growers feeling strongly enough about the product to put their names, faces and reputations on the line. It also required a substantial commitment of time and energy from these growers during the full swing of a busy cropping season. But when the call went out, the response was swift and strong. Growers from west to east showed a tremendous
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FARM FORUM / CROP TALK / WINTER 2012
Watch for the new InVigor advertising in a variety of media in the coming months. You may just see a familiar face – a friend or family member, or the neighbour down the road.
interest in participating and stepped up to the plate to contribute. The result was a home run for the new InVigor campaign. Truth in advertising One thing that became clear early in the process, was just how powerful the grower-based strategy was. The participating InVigor growers represented a broad range of production scales, geography, stages of life and experience with the product. But what they all shared was a clear passion and pride for agriculture, along with a trusted belief in InVigor as a critical part of their canola success. Passion, pride and family Shooting days were organized across the Prairies and in Eastern Canada. Many producers brought their families on set and the days included a lot of fun and visiting while getting the job done. The farming talk was mixed with stories of farm life and sharing news on kids’ activities, from school and dancing to motocross and hockey.
The campaign organizers were blown away both by the response and professionalism of everyone involved. It’s not easy to ask a producer to take a day in the middle of early summer or during harvest to stand in front of a camera, but they did it with a sense of enthusiasm and fun – showing truly what makes an InVigor grower stand apart. Another refreshing angle was the positive, progressive, modern faces of farming these growers represented. InVigor growers are a good reflection of most producers today. They’re devoted to their families and communities, passionate about their profession, and bring an enthusiasm and enjoyment to the challenge and opportunity that each day brings. They are not only farm business managers, but front-line decision makers at the cutting edge of a sophisticated industry. But like the new campaign shows, there’s also a little something extra to an InVigor grower. You see it most clearly at times like seeding or harvest, when their confidence and satisfaction shines through.