Illinois Farm Families’ “We are the 96%” campaign garnered high media attention in February

Illinois Farm Bureau maintained a strong, steady pace of interview requests on a variety of agricultural topics in February. Each month, IFB coordinates media interviews while monitoring mainstream channels for trending themes in agriculture. In February, IFB continued fielding questions on Illinois’ state-wide standards for wind and solar projects. Other notable topics included the recently launched “We are the 96%” campaign by Illinois Farm Families, which IFB is assisting.

From Feb. 1 through Feb. 28, 2023, IFB fielded 36 interview requests from print/online publications, radio and TV news outlets, generating 176 news placements and potentially reaching 34.6 million people, which had an advertisement value equivalency (AVE) of $623,828.

For comparison, in Feb. 2022 IFB facilitated 31 media interviews, which yielded 305 placements and potentially reached around 283.8 million, an estimated AVE of $2.6 million.

While media calls continue to trend higher, potential reach and AVE are down over the previous year. It is important to understand that this trend is due to current world events and media topics, as well as the type of media outlets IFB is working with. February 2022 saw the start of the Russian-Ukraine war, which drove significant media attention to agriculture organizations as Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and Russia is a major supplier of fertilizer. Media coverage of the one-year anniversary of the war primarily focused on long-term societal impacts in Ukraine and President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv rather than agricultural topics.

Despite the dip in potential audience reach, February was still a great month for earned media coverage. IFB assisted Illinois Farm Families (IFF) with media coverage and analysis for the “We are the 96%” campaign, which debuted Feb. 12 during the Super Bowl. Highlights include a well picked-up press release about the campaign and farmer interviews with several TV stations and local news outlets. To date, the campaign has yielded 126 media placements, which had a total potential reach of around 19.01 million, an AVE of $175,867.

IFB also coordinated 16 media interviews and two press conferences during its Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference. Notable topics included farm bill 2023 priorities, WOTUS, rules for the road and Mexico’s recent ban on GMO corn.

IFB Farmers, Members in the News

In early February, IFB fielded several calls regarding Illinois HB 4412, which introduces new state-wide standards for wind and solar project development. Robert Klemm, a farmer in DeWitt County, spoke with the Herald-Review in Decatur about concerns regarding the bill and renewable energy projects. Ahead of the “We are the 96%” campaign debut in the Super Bowl, Chad Bell, a farmer in Mercer County, joined WQAD to discuss his role in the campaign and Super Bowl advertisement. Chad Kleinschmidt, of Tazewell County, spoke with The Pantagraph, and Blake Noland, of Macon County, spoke with the Herald-Review. Both interviews were published ahead of the Super Bowl commercial and highlighted the “We are the 96%” campaign.

Photo by Clay Jackson, Lee Enterprises

February Top Reach, Syndication, and Social Echo

February was a busy month for earned media coverage, with articles covering a range of topics including Illinois state-wide solar and wind regulations, the “We are the 96%” campaign, the IFB Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference, WOTUS, Rules for the Road, and many other topics. Several articles had exceptional audience reach, the highest being 2.78 million people. Many articles had high syndication levels, which refers to how many news channels share the same article across platforms. Several articles also had high social echo, which refers to articles or broadcasts that had the highest engagement on social media.

Highest Reach

“Be a part of the history of soils in Illinois” – This article originated from the University of Illinois Extension and highlights a new, extensive soil sample program, which is funded by Illinois Farm Bureau and the Nutrient Research and Education Council. The article had the highest audience reach of 2.78 million people.

Most Syndicated

“Sorensen appointed to science agriculture committees” – This article from the Quad-City Times discusses U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen’s appointment to the House agriculture and science committees and includes a quote from IFB President Richard Guebert. The article had the highest syndication for February and was shared by eight media outlets.

Top Social Echo

“Commercial featuring Illinois Farm Families to debut at Super Bowl” – This WCIA article highlighted farmer Chad Bell’s involvement in the “We are the 96%” Super Bowl advertisement. The article had the most social media interactions in February with more than 9,900 Facebook interactions (likes, comments, and shares).

For additional information or questions, please contact IFB Media Relations Specialist Sierra Henry at shenry@ilfb.org or Director of Issue Management DeAnne Bloomberg at dbloomberg@ilfb.org.