Shift•ology Communication Receives Best of NAMA Award from National Agri-Marketing Association
VirtualFarmTrips.com Named Best Consumer-Directed Website
VirtualFarmTrips.com, the home page of Shift•ology Communication’s Virtual Farm Trips® program, was awarded for the best “Website Directed to Consumers” at the National AgriMarketing Association’s Best of NAMA Awards earlier this month. The awards recognize excellence in agricultural communication and honor the best marketing, public relations, media and advertising efforts in the agriculture industry, both at regional and national levels.
“This award is extra special because it’s the only time we’ve ever entered for our own agency work. The site serves the entire agriculture industry nationwide and dozens of commodities involved with Virtual Farm Trips, from beef cattle to Christmas trees to walnuts,” said Melanie Wilt, Shift•ology CEO. “Along with our partners from coast to coast, we are marching towards reaching 2 million students with live, unscripted virtual experiences by the end of this year. That shows that together we’re making a measurable difference in agricultural literacy.”
Shift•ology launched the Virtual Farm Trips program in 2014 in response to a client’s desire to increase transparency about their farms by hosting live field trips without compromising biosecurity.
“The rest is history,” said Dan Toland, Director of Virtual Experiences, who manages and produces the experiences from his home office in Findlay, Ohio. “This platform has provided an opportunity for our partners and their farmers to tell their stories in the most authentic, unscripted way possible. Students are able to connect free of charge, and live with farmers in their fields, equipment and barns on their actual farms. No two trips are ever the same.”
According to a report by Vimeo, live content holds viewers’ attention 10-20 times longer than pre-recorded videos.
In addition to the national Best of NAMA award, Shift•ology received several regional awards from the organization, including: First Place for Internal Company Publication for the Cooper Farms Impact Report; and a Merit Award for Company- or Producer-Funded PR Campaign Element Directed to Consumers for the American Dairy Association North East’s Immersive-Style Virtual Farm Trips.
The complete list of all Best of NAMA Award Winners is available online.