A Morgan County family will once again be featured in Super Bowl ads this weekend, which will now reach even more markets.
The “We Are the 96” campaign spot will feature the Marr Family. Gracie Pierson of the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Consumer Engagement Office says this is a story that deserves a wider audience: “We only had 5 markets last year. This year we were able to score the Quincy, Cape Girardeau, and Evansville markets to add to that. As far as the reach, I think for us, we didn’t realize the media attention we were going to get around this ad. We were happy to pay to air an ad during the Super Bowl. We got so much media attention from that. Looking back, it’s such a novel idea that there’s farmers, there’s local faces on the TV during the Super Bowl when you are seeing a whole bunch of national advertisements. Many of them are trying to sell you something in a new, creative way. And, just for us, the ‘wow’ factor on it was the attention our ad received.”
The “We are the 96%” campaign’s goal is to increase awareness that 96% of farms in Illinois are owned and operated by families. The campaign is an effort of the Illinois Farm Families coalition, comprised of the Illinois Beef Association, IL Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Soybean Association and Midwest Dairy.