I recently spoke at the 2008 Toronto Farm Show. Here’s a look at the article that followed my talk.
Canadian agriculture is heading toward a “boom economy” and yet farm-related businesses can no longer just “build stuff and assume that people are going to buy it.”
That valuable message was delivered at a lunchtime address yesterday by Alan Quarry, “Head Coach and Chief Enthusiasm Officer” at Quarry Integrated Communications.
Quarry, speaking at the annual CIFES luncheon for the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association, said “as marketers, the riskiest thing we can do is be safe. Inertia is our biggest enemy.”
Changes in farm life and agricultural marketing are happening faster than ever, according to Quarry, whose agency is based in Waterloo.
He said that by 2030, farmers will have to produce 50 per cent more food than they do now, to feed the world’s population.
“It’s called Business as Unusual,” he told the full house.
“More than ever, we need to create a dialogue with the customer that is meaningful and gives the customer value.
“And customers need to know they can trust the brands they work with.”
Quarry’s agency was founded in 1973 and its list of clients includes Research In Motion, Nortel and BASF.
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