How can a company differentiate its products from the rest? This problem assumes more importance when the entire product category is in danger of becoming a commodity, and when her rivals have spent fortunes on branding their products over decades. Fatima Fertilizers, a leading fertilizer manufacturing and sales company in Pakistan, faced these marketing problems and came up with a brilliant strategy to differentiate itself and its products in Pakistan, and breaking through the ad-clutter which is causing marketers in Pakistan and elsewhere a long-term headache.
Being primarily an agrarian state, Pakistan’s growth is heavily dependent on the fertilizer industry. According to reports, Pakistan’s fertilizer demand has largely remained higher than its supply. Key players in the fertilizer industry include “the three Bigs”: Fatima, Fauji and Engro fertilizers. Most players sell Nitrogenous (important for plant growth), Phosphate (important for strengthening the root system) and Potassium fertilizers (strengthens plant immunity against diseases). Fertilizer companies first sell their product to dealers (intermediary), who in turn sell to the farmer (end consumer). Companies can differentiate their products on the ingredients they contain, through the services that accompany their products, or through some kind of positioning by using creative ads.
Breaking through the Ad-clutter
Fatima Fertilizers, a subsidiary of the Fatima Group, had established itself as a leading fertilizer manufacturing and sales company by 2016. Even though many viewers think of fertilizers as a branded commodity, not very unlike a detergent or a cold medicine, Fatima Fertilizers is the only company in Pakistan who has been making and selling value-added fertilizers: Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and Nitro-Phosphate (NP). Research data based on some 500+ demonstration farms had established by 2016 that a combination of NP and CAN could result in at least 10% more yield than the conventional combination of Urea and DAP. This had been validated by independent and reputable research institutes. It led Fatima Fertilizers to launch a campaign emphasizing that use of these two fertilizers in combination will give a guaranteed 10% more yield.
In today’s cluttered media landscape, an ad that resonates with its target audience and is built on actual consumer insights is increasingly rare. Equally rare is an ad that celebrates a true success story with emotion and advocates a social cause. This is what Sarsabz Fertilizer’s (a brand of Fatima Fertilizers) farmer testimonial featuring Rabia Sultan, a female progressive farmer, was all about. Farmers in Pakistan have traditionally been risk averse. With their family’s future livelihood dependent on today’s choices of inputs, they tend to stick to the choices they’ve seen their forefathers make. This makes trial of new products more difficult than in other categories and sectors, even though almost 100%
awareness amongst the target segment has been achieved.
Research suggests that farmers are open to advice only from their fellow farmers and look up to their area’s progressive farmers for guidance and practical knowledge. Fatima Fertilizers combined this insight with the fact that in no other industry are women as active as in agriculture, and also that in no other industry are women so underrepresented in all communication targeting this segment. Fatima Fertilizers took this harsh reality as a challenge and used the insights it had obtained as a cornerstone of its strategy for using farmer testimonials. What sets this testimonial apart from other run-of-the-mill testimonials is the degree of restraint in product placement. Instead of making its product the reason for success, Fatima Fertilizers placed its Sarsabz Fertilizer as a partner in Rabia Sultan’s journey towards empowerment and success.
Even though very successful, this campaign was not enough for Fatima Fertilizers, who then decided to celebrate the farming community as whole, thus launching a national cause that pays tribute to the farmers through celebrating the Farmers’ Day and triggering a response from all aspects of society, especially form the Prime Minister of the country. In doing so, Fatima has set the bar high not only for the competition but even for itself. The campaign provides a good example for advertising itself, given that due to ad-clutter, over-advertisement, exaggerated product placements, consumer fatigue and many other reasons, the audience may not even wish to watch ads, let alone understand them, trust them, and form intentions of purchase.
Launching the Farmers’ Day Campaign – Salam Kissan
The marketing team of Fatima, headed by Khurram Javed Maqbool, Rabel Sadozai and Haris Ahmed Khan coalesced around celebrating the role the farmers play in Pakistan’s agriculture. More specifically, they agreed on a plan to celebrate Farmers’ Day (in Urdu, Kissan Day) on the 18th of December 2019. Why in December? In Pakistan, the major crop rotation season, Rabi, lasts from October to March. By December, wheat has already been sown and farmers have some time to relax and celebrate. The campaign was named “Salam Kissan” or “Salute to the Farmers”.
The campaign was targeted primarily at two segments. The first target was obviously the farmers of Pakistan, and Fatima decided to focus on appreciating their service for the betterment of Pakistan’s economy. At the same time, Fatima Fertilizers also decided to focus on governmental policy and decision makers. After all, the entire idea depended on taking the farmers’ feedback to the highest echelons of power in the country, because farmers felt their voice was not being heard by those who matter.
Reaching out to the Customers
There were two major goals identified by the marketing team. One, making “Salam Kissan” the talk of the town, not only amongst farmers but also among the urban, even the national audience. Two, to get the Farmers’ Day national recognition from the government, because fertilizer is unlike any other product in Pakistan: it is inextricably linked to the economic growth of the country.
In order to catch the targeted segments’ attention, the marketing team formulated a multiple pronged strategy:
ATL: An anthem/song was devised along with Ali Noor, a top musician of Pakistan. An emotional video of that anthem was made with the renowned Pakistani director Jami. To catch the audiences’ attention, the anthem was played simultaneously on all major media channels. Also, ads were launched in major newspapers, informing, and persuading the readers to celebrate the Farmers’ Day on 18th December. Billboards were rented across country specially in urban areas to reinforce the narrative of the Farmers’ Day amongst the general public.
The marketing team reached out to the farmers through several touch points, and in this endeavor, consumer research helped them tremendously. Research had shown that the typical farmer watched the 9 pm news after putting in a day’s work. For 10 days, in a blitz pattern, Fatima ensured that the pre-9 pm advertising slots would be filled by the Farmers’ (Kissan) Day anthems, as mentioned above. Fatima Fertilizers also used extensive radio advertising because while working in the field the farmers listened to the radio.
Social Media: Along with the anthem, all event platforms were nearly saturated with messages on the importance of agriculture and farmers and with messages about the importance of securing food supplies. The younger farmer, while resting, watched YouTube and Fatima Fertilizers ensured that this channel was also used effectively.
PR: A huge PR effort was carried out. Articles were published in all leading newspapers building a narrative towards the Kissan day/Salam Kissan. News shows were hosted on food security and farmers’ rights, with a single goal of establishing a day dedicated to farmers (Farmers’ Day).
Using Influencers: Research had also shown that farmers were impacted by certain “influencers”. The Fatima Fertilizers marketing team ensured that the agricultural ministers of all four provinces made statements about Farmers’ Day and that these statements were covered by both TV and social media. Celebrities of cricket, but also of Kabadi, two sports watched most often by the farmers, were engaged, in addition to media celebrities. Specialized talk shows were organized where representatives of the farmers spoke to government representatives, mediated by Fatima Fertilizers’ representatives.
Measuring the effectiveness of the campaign
The Fatima Marketing team was aware, right from the inception of the marketing plan that any marketing idea, unless converted into a measurable plan, was of not much use. With this thought in mind, they had agreed that the success of the Farmers’ Day campaign would be measured both on mediating and outcome variables. Mediating or intermediary variables would consist of marketing variables such as brand awareness (both recognition and recall), brand like, brand preference, brands most bought, brand loyalty and so on. Admittedly, these variables could be measured differently, and some were more difficult to measure than others (e.g., brand loyalty had evaded consensus even by top marketers). Outcome measures would include sales.
Among the intermediary indicators was the acknowledgement of Farmers’ Day by senior government leaders and by influential celebrities. Some early indicators signaled success. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, acknowledged the campaign on Twitter, and so did the Governor and the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab. A line of ministers in many provinces lauded the campaign as well. Very soon, the TV channels picked up the story and eventually the entire fertilizer industry started paying tributes to the unsung heroes: Pakistan’s farmers.
Challenges
The Farmers’ Day in Pakistan, conceived, developed, and executed by the marketing team of Fatima Fertilizers, by most indicators, seems to have been a marketing and perhaps a sales success. It has been recognized by the farming community, by the media, and above all by the government. Fatima Fertilizers decided to celebrate it yearly.
However, like most successful campaigns, the marketing team is now faced with two major challenges: One internal and the other one external. Internally, the marketing team is wondering how to keep the excitement and the buzz that was so spontaneously available in 2019 at the same levels of active discussion and participation in the future. Like any thriving organization, Fatima Fertilizer’s marketing and other teams are now busy with other campaigns, other challenges, and other goals.
Externally, the very success of the campaign has created its own challenge: If all rivals of Fatima Fertilizers now recognize and value the Farmers’ Day, as they seem to be doing of late, how will Fatima ensure distinctiveness, exclusiveness and brand ownership? There were also questions relating to measurement: What if the intermediary variables showed improvement but the outcome variable did not? Was the outcome variable dependent only on marketing variables or was it a function of many other variables, some not under Fatima’s control? Another problem that worried the marketers was: should every campaign have its own success indicators? If yes, could not one campaign affect another campaign’s success?
There was no doubt that the Salam Kissan initiative of Fatima Fertilizers had been one of the most successful interventions that the company had made in marketing in many years. At the same time, the irony of success that has befallen Scotch tape, Xerox, and many other brands turned into product categories has not been lost on Fatima. And its management team was wondering: What should it do now to maintain the momentum that had been gained by the campaign?
Questions to stimulate conversation on the case.
- Are there examples from other sectors of commodities that have been transformed into brands? Compare these examples with Fatima Fertilizers.
- What do you think of Fatima’s strategy of gaining the attention of a vast segment through its innovative campaign?
- What do you recommend Fatima should do to ensure that the Farmers’ Day remains appropriated by Fatima, and is not used by its rivals?
- How should Fatima measure its marketing success, in addition to the sales volume?
Links and media
Website: http://www.fatima-group.com/