Here’s why we chose A/B testing to create graphics farmers couldn’t ignore.
How much do you know about Palmer Amaranth? If you’re like most people, perhaps not a lot. For farmers, understanding what Palmer Amaranth is and how it can affect their crops is paramount. Lacking knowledge around the subject could mean their bottom line is harmed or even destroyed. Each time we try to reach an intended group, the message will be different — but attracting their attention remains important. Recently, we partnered with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to raise awareness about Palmer Amaranth among farmers. Here’s how we approached the challenge and found success with a visually arresting strategy.
While the effects of Palmer Amaranth can be disastrous for those working in agriculture, not all farmers in the state are informed about the risks. It can be hard to identify for those who don’t have full information, though crop exposure often means yields are significantly diminished or even wiped out. With 500,000 seeds per plant and the ability for it to spread through livestock food, the damage occurs quickly and is typically widespread, with an irreversible impact on the end product. As Palmer Amaranth becomes resistant to herbicides, removal is increasingly expensive, which has driven the MDA to seek ways to prevent this from happening to farmers, especially those who are unsuspecting.
Upon partnering with MDA, our goal was to spread clear messaging that would raise awareness about the issue while directing people to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s website for further resources. To better understand the full scope of the issue, we invited agriculture experts to weigh in during several group interviews. This insight helped identify and narrow down the greatest areas of focus, which we then used to guide and refine the campaign verbiage.
After conducting A/B testing to inform which messaging and visuals our audience was most drawn to, we developed graphics. The information showed that our audience of farmers was most interested in content that mentioned the financial impact, critical intel that guided the creation of our social graphics. Every post on social media has very little time to make a statement — sometimes less than a second. Considering this limited window to create a meaningful impact and the importance of the message we had to share, we chose to bring the disruption to life with a motion graphic illustrating Palmer Amaranth in destructive action. In our visual, the plant quickly rises up to block the text, compelling the viewer to stop and take notice.
As part of the general awareness campaign, we also created an informational landing page. To generate interest and make it memorable and accessible, we chose a URL that was clear and concise: Amaranth Aware.
The results exceeded expectations. By targeting audiences in different segments of the farming industry, the campaign received over 1,400,000 digital ad views and received 63,317 clicks. Ads targeting livestock farmers saw the best performance with an average cost-per-click of $0.42. The Palmer Amaranth video ads brought in over 700,000 views and were clicked almost 44,000 times.
Whether you’re creating a campaign that’s raising awareness or inciting action, putting the campaign where your target audience will see it with captivating content makes all the difference.
