BASF

Challenge

Holding the attention of the media for the duration of a phone call can be a challenge. BASF tapped Padilla to go beyond the ordinary in an effort to reach media in a new and compelling way.

Insight

Padilla knew it would require something special to convince journalists to ditch their desks and pay a visit to the BASF Crop Protection division headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Idea

The team successfully convinced 53 journalists from the United States, Canada and South America to step away from their offices for three days dedicated to learning more about BASF.

Solution

Capturing their attention required an agenda packed with exclusive and unique opportunities including:

• unprecedented access to senior BASF leaders and technical experts;
• exclusive tours of BASF research farms and greenhouses offering a behind-the-scenes look at new products and research;
• a lively panel discussion on food production challenges and feeding a growing global population featuring a professional futurist, a sociologist from the University of California, a USFRA “Faces of Farming” grower from North Carolina, the CEO of SLC Agricola (Brasil), and Iron Chef star Cat Cora – moderated by farm broadcaster Max Armstrong;
• a private cooking demonstration with Food Network celebrity chef Cat Cora;
• a roundtable discussion of agriculture in South America; and
• VIP treatment at a red carpet and screening event for the documentary “Farmland” with Oscar-award-winning director James Moll.

Results

The event drove nearly 160 interviews with print, radio and television journalists. More than 400 news stories amplified BASF’s messages, including in Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. In all, news media coverage exceeded 35 million impressions. Additionally, more than 900 social media mentions were logged during the event, reaching a potential audience of more than a million.