Most farm marketing operates on intuition. Experienced marketers develop a feel for what works based on years of trial and error. That intuition has value—but it has limits.
Markets shift. Consumer preferences evolve. New competitors emerge. Export markets open and close. What worked five years ago may not work today. What works domestically may fail internationally.
Research-driven marketing doesn't replace experience. It sharpens it. Data reveals what intuition can miss, challenges assumptions that have gone unexamined, and provides evidence for investment decisions that otherwise depend on gut feeling.
This guide outlines a research-driven approach to farm marketing strategy.
Why Farm Marketing Needs Research
Agricultural marketing has traditionally been relationship-driven. Know your buyers. Attend the trade shows. Build trust over time. These fundamentals still matter.
But several forces have made research more important:
Markets Are More Complex
The buyer landscape has fragmented. Retailers have consolidated while foodservice has diversified. Direct-to-consumer channels have emerged. International markets have grown more important—and more varied. Understanding who's buying, where, and why requires more than industry intuition.
Consumer Preferences Are Shifting
Health concerns, sustainability expectations, protein alternatives, convenience demands—consumer priorities are changing faster than many agricultural marketers can track. Yesterday's value proposition may not resonate with tomorrow's buyer.
Competition Has Intensified
Commodities compete not just within categories but across them. Beef competes with pork, poultry, seafood, and plant-based alternatives. Dairy competes with oat milk and almond milk. Every commodity faces pressure from substitutes. Understanding competitive dynamics requires systematic analysis.
Accountability Has Increased
Checkoff programs, trade associations, and agricultural businesses face more scrutiny about marketing ROI. "We've always done it this way" isn't a sufficient justification. Data-driven strategy provides the evidence base for investment decisions.
The Research-Driven Marketing Framework
A research-driven approach follows a cycle: understand, strategize, execute, measure, and refine.
Phase 1: Understand
Before developing strategy, understand the landscape.
Market Analysis:
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Who are the current buyers? Who could be?
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What are the market dynamics? Growth, decline, stability?
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Who are the competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
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What external forces are shaping the market?
Consumer Research:
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Who consumes the product? Who doesn't, and why?
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What drives purchase decisions? Price? Quality? Convenience? Values?
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What occasions and contexts matter?
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How do stated preferences compare to actual behavior?
Channel Assessment:
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Where does product flow? Retail, foodservice, export, direct?
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Which channels are growing? Which are declining?
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What are channel-specific requirements and dynamics?
The goal of this phase is clarity: a clear-eyed view of the market as it actually exists, not as we assume it to be.
Phase 2: Strategize
With understanding established, develop strategy.
Segmentation:
Not all buyers are equal. Segment the market based on behavior, value, and accessibility. Focus resources on segments where you can win.
Positioning:
What's the value proposition? How does the product or commodity differentiate from alternatives? What claims and messages will resonate with target segments?
Channel Strategy:
Where should marketing resources focus? Which channels offer the best opportunity for growth? Where are current channels underperforming?
Budget Allocation:
How should resources be distributed across activities? Consumer marketing, trade promotion, export development, research—where does investment generate the best return?
Phase 3: Execute
Strategy means nothing without execution.
Campaign Development:
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Creative that reflects positioning and resonates with target segments
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Media planning that reaches the right audiences efficiently
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Trade marketing that supports retail and foodservice partners
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Export promotion that builds international demand
Channel Activation:
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Distributor and retailer support
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Foodservice operator engagement
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Trade show and event presence
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Digital content and community building
Message Consistency:
Ensure all marketing touchpoints reinforce the same core positioning. Fragmented messaging dilutes impact.
Phase 4: Measure
Track what matters.
Market Metrics:
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Sales and consumption data
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Market share trends
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Distribution and velocity
Brand Metrics:
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Awareness and recognition
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Consideration and preference
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Perception on key attributes
Campaign Metrics:
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Reach and frequency
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Engagement and response
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Cost efficiency
Attribution (Where Possible):
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Connect marketing activities to market outcomes
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Acknowledge measurement limitations honestly
Phase 5: Refine
Use measurement to improve.
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What's working? Do more of it.
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What's not working? Stop or adjust.
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What's changed in the market? Adapt strategy accordingly.
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What new opportunities have emerged? Explore them.
Research-driven marketing is iterative. Each cycle builds on previous learning.
Key Research Methods for Farm Marketing
Different questions require different research approaches.
Quantitative Surveys
Best for:
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Measuring awareness, consideration, and preference
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Sizing market segments
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Tracking changes over time
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Quantifying attitudes and behaviors
Limitations:
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Tells you what people say, not what they do
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Subject to response bias
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Requires careful questionnaire design
Tip: Combine survey data with behavioral data to validate stated preferences against actual behavior.
Qualitative Research (Focus Groups, Interviews)
Best for:
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Understanding the "why" behind behaviors
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Exploring new concepts and ideas
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Generating hypotheses for quantitative testing
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Understanding language and framing
Limitations:
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Small samples limit generalizability
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Group dynamics can skew responses
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Skilled moderation required
Tip: Use qualitative research to inform quantitative research, not replace it.
Market Data Analysis
Best for:
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Understanding actual purchase behavior
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Identifying trends and patterns
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Sizing markets and segments
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Competitive benchmarking
Limitations:
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Shows what happened, not why
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May not capture all channels (foodservice, direct)
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Category definitions may not match your needs
Tip: Triangulate multiple data sources rather than relying on a single provider.
Social Listening and Digital Analytics
Best for:
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Understanding conversation and sentiment
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Identifying emerging topics and concerns
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Monitoring competitive activity
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Tracking content performance
Limitations:
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Represents the vocal, not the population
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Sentiment analysis has accuracy limits
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Correlation with purchase behavior is unclear
Tip: Use social data for early signals and hypothesis generation, not definitive conclusions.
AI-Powered Synthetic Research
Best for:
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Fast insight when timelines are tight
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Exploring international markets without local fieldwork
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Testing multiple concepts quickly
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Cost-effective preliminary research
Limitations:
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Models are only as good as their training data
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Requires calibration against real-world data
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Newer methodology with evolving best practices
Tip: Use synthetic research to move faster and explore more options, then validate critical findings with traditional methods where stakes are high.
Applying Research to Common Farm Marketing Challenges
Challenge: Declining Consumption
A commodity faces declining per capita consumption. What's driving it, and what can be done?
Research approach:
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Analyze consumption data to identify which segments are declining fastest
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Survey lapsed or light consumers to understand barriers
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Research competitive products to understand what's winning share
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Test repositioning concepts to find messages that address barriers
Strategic response:
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Focus on consumer segments still engaged with the category
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Address specific barriers with targeted messaging
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Innovate on product form or occasion to reach new consumption moments
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Consider whether to fight decline or manage it strategically
Challenge: Export Market Entry
A commodity board wants to develop new export markets. Where should they focus, and how?
Research approach:
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Screen potential markets based on trade data, tariffs, and regulatory access
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Research consumer behavior in priority markets
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Understand channel dynamics and competitive landscape
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Test messaging and positioning for cultural relevance
Strategic response:
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Prioritize markets based on evidence, not assumption
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Adapt positioning for local context
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Build trade relationships with research-informed value propositions
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Measure progress with market-specific metrics
Challenge: Health Perception Problem
A commodity suffers from negative health perceptions. How can marketing address this?
Research approach:
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Quantify the perception: how widespread? How deeply held?
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Understand what's driving it: media coverage? Competitive messaging? Scientific studies?
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Research what evidence would change minds
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Test messaging approaches for credibility and effectiveness
Strategic response:
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If perception is not widely held, don't amplify it by over-addressing
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If perception is widespread, develop sustained education strategy
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Lead with credible evidence, not defensive messaging
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Engage health professionals and influencers as credibility sources
Challenge: Commoditization and Price Pressure
A product faces price pressure as buyers treat it as an undifferentiated commodity. How can marketing create value?
Research approach:
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Research what attributes drive buyer value (quality signals, service, reliability)
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Identify segments willing to pay premiums for differentiated offerings
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Understand competitive positioning and gaps
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Test value proposition concepts with target buyers
Strategic response:
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Differentiate on attributes buyers actually value, not producer priorities
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Focus on segments where differentiation is viable
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Build brand equity that supports pricing power
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Invest in quality signals and customer experience
Building Research Capability
Research-driven marketing requires ongoing capability, not occasional projects.
Internal Capability
At minimum, agricultural marketers need the ability to:
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Interpret research and data
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Ask the right questions
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Commission research effectively
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Translate insight into action
This may mean hiring analytical talent, developing existing staff, or both.
External Partners
Few organizations can conduct all research internally. Partners are essential for:
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Specialized research methodologies
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Access to data sources and panels
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Analytical depth and expertise
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Fresh perspective on familiar markets
Choose partners who understand agriculture. Generic research firms often miss the nuance that matters.
Research Budget
Research typically deserves 5-15% of marketing budget, depending on:
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How well you currently understand your market
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How fast the market is changing
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How much is at stake in upcoming decisions
Underfunding research is false economy. The cost of insight is far less than the cost of uninformed decisions.
Research Rhythm
Establish regular research activities:
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Annual: Strategic tracking studies, market assessment
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Quarterly: Performance dashboards, competitive monitoring
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As needed: Concept testing, campaign evaluation, issue response
Avoid the pattern of research only when problems emerge. Proactive intelligence catches issues early.
Common Mistakes in Farm Marketing Research
Researching to Validate, Not Learn
If you've already decided what to do and commission research to prove you're right, you're wasting money. Research should inform decisions, not rationalize them.
Asking the Wrong Questions
Surveys that ask consumers what they want often get answers that sound good but don't predict behavior. Focus on understanding behavior, occasions, and barriers—not just stated preferences.
Ignoring the Say-Do Gap
Consumers say they want sustainable products, then buy on price. They say they care about nutrition, then choose convenience. Research must capture both dimensions—stated preference and actual behavior.
Over-Relying on Historical Data
Past performance predicts future results—until it doesn't. Markets change. Consumer preferences shift. Historical data is essential context, but it's not prophecy.
Analysis Paralysis
Research informs decisions; it doesn't make them. At some point, you have to act on the best available information. Waiting for perfect data means never acting at all.
The Bottom Line
Research-driven farm marketing isn't about replacing judgment with data. It's about making judgment sharper, decisions more confident, and investments more likely to pay off.
The core disciplines:
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Understand before acting — Know the market, the consumer, and the competitive landscape
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Test before committing — Validate strategies and messages before full investment
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Measure what matters — Track outcomes and learn from results
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Adapt continuously — Use insight to refine and improve
In markets that are changing faster than intuition can track, research is the difference between leading and guessing.
