The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is all over the state. Literally. It has extension offices in all 67 Florida counties and deals with everything from crop growth and cooking to launching businesses and balancing family budgets. They take all the research and knowledge gained at UF and share it with over 20 million Floridians. The problem was, many people hadn’t heard of them. So, we did a deep dive into UF/IFAS and developed the theme Science of Better Living, which helped people understand their purpose. To spread the word, we created several videos, print ads, direct mail, digital and social campaigns. We even built a soil testing kit for orange growers, then woke up at 4am to deliver it to them. Not only did we help raise awareness, but we increased engagement with citrus growers, community members and state representatives.
The Challenge
UF/IFAS needed to reach a wide audience. Basically, 20 million people in Florida. That’s how many lives their work impacts. They especially needed to tell key members of the Florida congress how they helped make the future better for everyone in the state in order to maintain funding from the legislature.
The Approach
We put a very comprehensive institute with a robust mission into simple terms that everyone could understand. The Science of Better Living became the platform that launched an anthem video, several pillar videos, outdoor ads, print ads and digital campaigns to help raise awareness. We also developed other targeted campaigns aimed at helping citrus growers in the state battle the deadly disease known as citrus greening, which threatens the state’s $7.2 billion industry.
Delivering More
To help Florida citrus growers deal with citrus greening, we helped develop a citrus soil testing kit that UF/IFAS could analyze and provide customized solutions to each grower. When a shipping issue threatened a major delivery delay, our team sprang into action by driving to Orlando at 4am to pick up and deliver the kits personally. It’s an example of going above and beyond for a client. And a testament to the power of coffee.
- 586% increase in unique website visits
- 84% increase in Facebook followers
- Winner of the National Gold Association Award for Communication Excellence