Extending agricultural roots into growth strategy.

We’re all in this together, right?

We’ve seen this phrase splashed out across media outlets and social media commentary and even scrawled out in street art and graffiti pieces. And, as a marketer, this paints a vivid picture of the role that brands can play in making the world around us a little bit better every day, especially when it comes to topics such as sustainability, regenerative agricultural practices, ethical ingredient sourcing, eco-friendly packaging and more.

These are also the topics that a new class of educated and savvy consumers care about and want the companies they support to address transparently and authentically. According to Nielsen, research shows that revenue from sustainable products is growing at about six times the rate of other products, and 50% of consumers are willing to pay a higher price for products that have a positive social and environmental impact on the supply chain.

Together, with investors, government entities and industry peers, we’re seeing a clearly marked shift in purpose that has proven to positively impact the bottom line, our health and the world around us. So what does this all mean for marketers and decision-makers that are steering their brands into the future?

As an agency that’s built its foundations in agribusiness and spent nearly half a century developing brand stories and creating campaigns for the biggest names in the agricultural space, we at Bader Rutter have put these themes under a microscope. Having recently taken on the role as vice president of business development, I’m excited by the challenge of extending our agricultural roots within new categories, starting in the food and beverage and pet care spaces, as we’ve done recently for Bunch Bar, Mob Craft Brewing and USA Prime. Utilizing nearly 50 years of Bader Rutter’s experience — boots-on-the-ground involvement with farmers, ranchers, packaging specialists and supply-chain experts, along with our agency know-how — we’re helping to positively transform and change food systems in a way that will impact people and animals’ lives for the better.

Now is the time to tell supply chain sustainability stories.

Too often, a brand story around an eco-friendly initiative or a regenerative farming or sustainability practice only ends up in a corporate press release, resulting in an industry publication story, at best. The piece isn’t tied to the brand’s Google search, it doesn’t live on the brand’s social pages, and it certainly doesn’t create enough impact on consumer conversation or actions.

However, the future has never been brighter for creating new initiatives around a more sustainable future, supply-chain innovations or eco-friendly packaging solutions. On Nov. 1, the food and beverage brand, Knorr, and its parent company, Unilever, announced a plan to “help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030.” And General Mills has doubled down on previous sustainability commitments, including regenerative agricultural practices, by issuing a $500-million bond tied to its climate goals.

At Bader Rutter, we know that most current approaches haven’t rewarded these new brand initiatives and wins. So this is where we’re hedging our bets. With our expertise in telling stories around cooperation with farmers, manufacturers, retailers, environmental groups and researchers, we’re confident that we can create better products for a better world.