This year, the Future Ag Communicators Committee, with the support of the Professional Improvement Foundation, launched a new opportunity to interact with agricultural communications students: a contest. We asked students to put together marketing plans focused on attracting their generation to ACN membership.

The contest gave students an opportunity to practice their strategic marketing and communication skills through research and creative requirements. It also gave them an up-close look at ACN as an organization—and it’s giving us insight on what Gen Z is looking for in a professional organization.

Our first-place winner is Natasha Hightower, a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas.

Hightower graduated with a degree in agricultural education, communications, and technology with a concentration in communications and minor in agricultural leadership. She plans to go to graduate school this fall and enter a career in higher education or extension.

Judges were impressed with Hightower’s varied research and how it connected to recommended tactics as well as the insight into ACN’s target audience.

Our second-place winners are Alison Chaney and Kyndal King from the agricultural communications program at Tarleton State University.

Chaney is set to graduate in July and is serving as an editorial intern for the American Paint Horse Association. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s in agricultural communications at Oklahoma State University.

King graduated in May and accepted a job as photo and video specialist with Martinez Media and Marketing Group in Manhattan, Kansas.

Judges noted the attractiveness and creativity of the entry as well as how the content communicated well.

See Winners at Ag Media Summit

In addition to receiving national recognition, all three of our winners will receive funds to help them travel to and attend Ag Media Summit in August. Be sure to tell them “hello” and “congratulations” if you see them!

We asked them to share a bit about their experience and what they learned in their research. Here’s what they said:

First Place: Natasha Hightower

My name is Natasha Hightower, and I am a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas where I majored in agricultural education, communications, and technology with a concentration in communications and a minor in agriculture leadership. I am returning to the University of Arkansas in the fall where I will begin my journey as a graduate student studying agricultural and extension education. My hope is to one day work either in higher education as an instructor or as an extension agent in Arkansas.

During my undergraduate program, I needed to take a campaigns capstone course for my degree. When my advisor and I were discussing what project would be best for me to work on and gain valuable experience, she received an email about the ACN competition. She quickly forwarded me the email, encouraging me to take the opportunity. I would not only have the chance to gain valuable real-world experience, but I also had a unique opportunity for my class. I decided to work on the project alone to test my skills and challenge myself. This project taught me a lot about strategic marketing and the agricultural communications industry!

During my research for the Agriculture Communicators Network, I learned that several recent graduates, myself now included, wanted to find an organization that provided them with networking opportunities and a community of fellow agriculturalists. The secondary research compiled information stating that recent graduates, most of whom fall within Generation Z, value the opinions of those around them, but they also value having their opinions heard. My research also found that while social media platforms are essential to reaching the right audience, the content and message provided are just as important. Ensuring the message and voice of the organization are welcoming, supportive, and conversational creates an avenue for people to engage with the organization. Having a clean, minimalistic design aids in the retention of information from the posts.

Another key aspect of the secondary research that tied into my primary research I conducted was the need for mentors, training, and face-to-face interactions. Seventy-five percent of the participants stated that it is “very – extremely important for them to feel a sense of community and belonging within an organization.” This can be through in-person events, and research shows how individuals can also feel a sense of shared identity and connection through a common brand or group on social media.

All of my research led to my three primary creative assets for this plan: an Instagram reel competition to attract college students preparing for graduation as well as recent graduates, a podcast advertisement to build off a growing platform within the agricultural industry and engage with a broader audience, and a print/digital advertisement that can be used at a variety of events to provide basic information to form the initial attraction. These creative assets can build off the marketing strategies used by ACN to reach recent graduates and increase membership and retention.

Second Place: Alison Chaney and Kyndal King

After hearing about the ACN contest through National ACT, we decided to create a marketing plan to help fund our trip to Ag Media Summit.

This contest has been such a blessing in more ways than one. Not only are we now able to attend AMS, but we also have a better idea of what goes into making a marketing campaign. This contest has given us a hands-on opportunity to learn and compete against our peers.

The research we conducted was focused on a group of students who were in college, about to graduate college or recent graduates. To create impactful materials, we wanted to collect information that was as recent and accurate as possible. Another goal of ours was to present information in an easily understandable way. Our generation loves to interact with social campaigns and like many other generations wants to find useful information quickly. As we worked on this campaign, we kept just that in mind and looked for ways to make content that was interactable and accessible.

Focusing on the recruitment of recent college graduates, our marketing plan consisted of two newsletters, a brochure, two social media stories and three social media posts.

The first newsletter focused on the benefits that ACN provides new graduates while giving readers tips and tricks that can be utilized with their membership. The second newsletter focused on helping new graduates network and connect with industry professionals, as new graduates may feel intimidated in networking settings. In this marketing plan, the newsletters were sent out monthly.

The brochure provided basic information about ACN and was intended to be sent out to every university with an agricultural communications program. This marketing material was to be sent out at the beginning of May, so instructors of these programs could share that information with graduating students.

The two social media stories and three social media posts go hand-in-hand with each other. The two social media stories and two social media posts that go together cover the highlights of the two newsletters. The social media post that filled the gap between these two posts covered how ACN could help new graduates kick-start their careers.

We cannot thank ACN enough for their continued support of students. We hope that ideas from our campaign can be used to recruit our peers across the country so they too can experience the great things ACN can offer students and recent graduates.

ACN-ACT Student Contest

Earn money to attend the Ag Media Summit!

The Agricultural Communicators Network (ACN) is offering this student contest to National ACT members to support attendance at the Agricultural Media Summit. AMS is the largest annual conference of agricultural communicators in the United States and provides opportunities for networking and professional development through workshops and speakers from industry professionals. You’ll be able to attend events alongside ag comm professionals as well as participate in the annual National ACT meetings and student workshops. AMS is a foundational opportunity for students preparing to launch their careers.

To enter, follow the prompt and instructions below.

Submissions are due by email to Courtney Girgis, ACN Future Ag Communicators Committee chair, [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. April 15, 2024.

This prompt is fictional, but you never know when your ideas might inspire a real-life campaign!

The Prompt

The Agricultural Communicators Network (ACN) wants to recruit recent college graduates as new members. You’ve been hired to put together a marketing plan for ACN. Get ready to put your creativity and marketing know-how together to develop a research-based marketing plan that includes a minimum of three creative assets. Your budget is $5,000, but feel free to think outside the box to keep costs low.

What to Submit

1. A completed entry form, one per entry (see below). You may submit as an individual or a team of up to four people (schools may have more than one team/entry).
2. A document outlining your strategic plan with research and reasonings. Your document should include the following elements:

• Overview/Introduction
• Research
• Target audience
• Objective
• Project outline
• Timeline
• Budget outline
• Metrics for determining ROI
• Conclusion

You also have the option to earn bonus points by completing and including a member profile, SWOT analysis, and original research results (such as a survey).      

1. Three assets. Your strategic plan should make clear how you will use these creative elements. Each asset will be judged on skill and creativity.
1. Examples might include: draft social media posts, blog posts, press releases, collateral materials, advertisements, etc.
2. You are not limited by what you can create – we want to see innovative ideas! However, you are required to provide three separate asset types. (I.e., no more than one social post.)

Resources

You can learn more about ACN at:

• agcommnetwork.com
• https://www.facebook.com/AgCommNetwork/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/agricultural-communicators-network/

See the “About ACN” PDF, which includes member demographics and other information about the organization, as well as the ACN Brand Guide.

How Entries Will Be Judged

Your entry will be judged based on clarity, reasoning, creativity, and level of professionalism. Please see the rubric for details.

Do not include your or your school’s name on your plan document or the assets. Each entry will receive an identifying number that judges will use when reviewing entries.

Deadline

Submit your completed entry (which should include your entry form, strategic plan, and assets) to Courtney Girgis, ACN Future Ag Communicators Committee chair, at [email protected] no later than 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 15, 2024.

Please combine strategic plan and asset files into one PDF as much as possible. Keep your entry form separate. You may upload files that are too large to email here: https://bit.ly/47ZgfDq. However, please also email Courtney ([email protected]) to confirm receipt of all materials.