Not that long ago, agricultural producers focused completely on production.  They grew plants, produced milk, meat and eggs, or grew produce or grains for our tables.  Consumers bought what they produced, during the seasons when it was available.  But with a supply of all of these items coming from countries throughout the world at any time of the year, today’s agricultural production is focused more on the consumer than on what the farmer is able to produce.

Consumer focus in what we bring to market implies that we are producing for consumer tastes, and it requires greater communication with those consumers.  If you want to sell blueberries in January, corn in March and poinsettias in December in Chicago, then it is important that consumers will buy these “off season” products.

With changes in the focus of agricultural products branding becomes a necessity.  A brand is what differentiates one strawberry from another, or one gallon of milk from another in the consumer’s mind.  It is a promise of quality that causes them to choose your product over the alternative that might be sitting next to it on the shelf.

For an agricultural company, branding can be the difference between struggling to get a decent price for what is produced and being able to comfortably sell your product at a higher margin because of consumer preference.  It is value that is added to those strawberries or that gallon of milk based on the promise of quality or some other attribute.

Branding is the future success of what were previously considered commodities.  It has been the focus of Oster and Associates’ marketing expertise for almost 30 years, and it’s more relevant today than ever.  No longer a unique, experimental idea, branding of agricultural products is now the key to survival in a competitive world.

There are many ways to market a brand.  We have some great ideas and amazing success stories focused on doing it in an affordable manner that we’re willing to share.

-Bev