Case Study
U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)
Creating a unified image for a family of brands
The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) is a partnership of stakeholders dedicated to building a preference for U.S. soybeans and soy products. Bigwidesky serves as a brand and marketing partner to elevate the brand’s worldwide perception and create platforms for ongoing audience engagement.
Highlights
- Since 2011, Bigwidesky has worked with USSEC as a trusted agency partner. We are often asked to consult and advise USSEC on new marketing concepts, tools and best practices to ensure value and results from their marketing efforts.
- Over the years, we have completely rebranded the organization from a messaging and visual standpoint and have created a wealth of creative executions including two websites (USSEC.org and USSOY.org), digital and conventional infographics, product logos, videos (including the Emmy®-nominated video, “This is Harvest”), brochures and collateral materials, multi-lingual presentations, trade show graphics and materials, branded giveaways and much more.
- In 2013, we proposed the creation of Almanac.ussec.org—a self-contained travel app that serves as a digital resource for USSEC-supported international trips. This affordably produced and easy-to-use app replaced the hundreds of printed binders USSEC had been creating, thereby saving them thousands of dollars every year. Currently, Almanac has approximately 600 active members, page views have tripled since launch and 161 international trips have successfully been planned and managed by global trade delegations.
- Currently, we are implementing a large- scale content marketing project with USSEC, the first of its kind to be launched among U.S. soy brands. This effort has positioned USSEC as thought leaders among its peers.
What we do
USSEC is tasked with a communications goal that is both admirable and ostensibly difficult: they are working to increase the global competitiveness of soybean products to foreign markets. The complexity of both the marketplace, the multiplicity of audiences as well as the loftiness of USSEC’s goals lead the organization to secure Bigwidesky as their trusted communications agency in 2011. We started where we usually do—with the brand.
We reimagined and recreated USSEC’s visual presence and rebuilt its website for an improved user experience. We also saw the need for a publishing platform to expose their foresight into global markets. This lead to the development of its marketing-focused brand, USSOY. Our creative support for USSEC and USSOY has involved everything from trade show elements and annual reports to animated graphics and brochures.
Most notably, we were proud to create an Emmy®-nominated video that showed the authentic, real life of American soybean producers.
Even outside the realm of traditional communications, we helped solve a traditionally arduous issue with the mobile application Almanac. The app allows influencers traveling to foreign countries to access the latest information about their itinerary, soybean issues, cultural background and history. With it, we took our user experience thinking into the real world to influence audiences.
Most recently, Bigwidesky has embarked upon a content marketing effort with USSEC to increase the visibility of the brand’s thought leadership. This plan takes the impact of digital content and leverages the strengths of social networks. Backed up by a robust CRM and marketing automation platform, Bigwidesky is managing nurture campaigns, programmable advertising and social media. The campaign has already generated increased business intelligence for USSEC.
We continue to consult and advise USSEC on new opportunities as they arise and enjoy the opportunity to approach them with the latest in communications developments.