Write2Market selected as "One to Watch"
Connecting biofuels agribusiness to the supply side of its market
“It was a great interview—another tool to help us get our word out.It aired on a Saturday morning and our phones started ringing over the weekend. Monday, we had a lot of people calling who had never heard of us before the show, saying they’d seen us and asking questions about our product.”
—Mike Fulgham, General Manager, Sunbelt Biofuels
The Agribusiness Public Relations Challenge
Sunbelt Biofuels is a small company building on the business acumen of its Founder and CEO, so-called ‘SodFather ‘Phillip Jennings. Phillip supplies much of the world’s turf market, famously carpeting the ground for the Superbowl. At this early stage of Sunbelt’s development, Phillip’s foremost challenge is getting attention from their target market—getting in front of farmers to spread the good news about his latest product, a species of grass that Sunbelt has been testing with Mississippi State University—Giant Freedom Miscanthus.
How can a start-up company organized around the future of energy reach the heart of its potential supply chain, American farmers?
The Results: National Television, Radio, and Speaking
During the course of her media outreach on behalf of Sunbelt, Write2Market media specialist Jean Creech-Avent developed an opportunity with the Georgia Farm Bureau. The reporter-producer for the Bureau’s television show, the Georgia Farm Monitor, was interested in getting a look at the Giant Freedom Miscanthus growing in Soperton, Georgia at Sunbelt.
Jean and the Write2Market team met with Sunbelt contacts to prepare for the TV appearance, considering everything from talking points to alternative sites in case of poor weather. The unique constraints of filming outside during winter light called for careful timing and coordination.
On the day of the video shoot, Write2Market team member AJ Gill was there in person, to streamline communication between the TV reporter and Phillip, and above all, to make sure the reporter got the story—the story that Sunbelt was excited to tell. Having a liaison with the press on-site supported the Sunbelt team and the final interview captures the resulting relaxed, informational tone.
When the EPA announced its new regulations for a Renewable Fuel Standard in February, mentioning miscanthus for the first time among biomass crops, the Georgia Farm Monitor video was already online. As key players in agriculture turned to Google to learn more about miscanthus, the interview explaining its benefits was waiting, positioning Sunbelt as the knowledge leader that it is on biomass. The TV appearance also generated a significant number of sales leads.
The interview, available here, is a great resource on issues appearing in the emerging American biofuels market.
In addition to the television coverage, Write2Market landed speaking opportunities at ethanol and biofuel conferences as well as a radio segment on NPR on domestic fuel policy. “This coverage has kept our phones ringing and given us the exposure we need to build awareness,” says Phillip Jennings, CEO.
You may also be interested in:
