DEKALB® BRAND
Celebrating two national pastimes on one memorable field.
GOAL
Make DEKALB® brand more top of mind among all corn growers and build consideration and preference.
CHALLENGE
The strongest connections most farmers have to a seed brand is the relationship they have with their dealer or retailer. Nowhere is this more evident than the state of Iowa — the largest geographic market for corn seed.
INSIGHT
For farmers, the only things as powerful as relationships are tradition and ambition.
APPROACH
By making DEKALB brand the Official Corn Seed of MLB at Field of Dreams, we forged a highly visible connection between farmers and the brand in the heart of corn country.
In an online video and regional TV spot that aired during the game, we celebrated tradition and ambition by telling the story of the three brothers — and DEKALB customers — who farm the Field of Dreams.
We also brought our story to life across Dyersville, Iowa, including billboards, wrapped farm equipment and a painted mural downtown.
Farmers and DEKALB brand customers were a focus as well. We greeted them at their hotel, hosted a welcome dinner and VIP lunch and got everyone tickets to the game.
We strengthened those connections with memorable on-site experiences at both games, including free sweet corn and a yield launcher game.
OUTCOMES
In the two weeks around the MLB game, DEKALB brand saw 112% more search volume than its top competitor in Iowa, including 31% more from August to December — the first time DEKALB brand has ever had the most search volume in the state during the seed-selling window.
