Client Profile: The National FFA Organization is a youth organization where student members are engaged in a wide range of agricultural education activities. It prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth and career success. The National FFA depends on its Foundation to support its more than 500,000 student members at some 7,300 rural, urban and suburban schools across the United States and Puerto Rico each year.

Business Challenge: Raise money without increasing member dues.

Willow Marketing Solution: Willow Marketing has provided planning and implementation to both the organization and the Foundation.

In 1998, the National FFA engaged Willow to develop a marketing and promotional campaign for their National Convention. Our initial work was to brand the convention with a theme and develop the logo that would be used over the course of the next seven years while the convention was held in Louisville. Our involvement quickly escalated to include video production and graphic design of all convention materials including signs, banners, billboards and environmental graphics. The convention was moved to Indianapolis in 2006 and our involvement with the convention continues.

In 2006, we began our relationship to provide sponsorship development and activation to the National FFA Foundation. In order for the organization to run properly and provide the most benefits for its members, it must develop and implement a successful sponsorship program. Willow knew the Foundation needed another large sponsor and decided to approach it differently than the FFA Foundation ever had in the past. Previously, companies were giving money out of their philanthropic budgets. We thought it would benefit both sides more if sponsorship opportunities were discussed as an advertising opportunity within marketing departments. Willow put together presentations, attended sales calls and negotiated contracts. To date, our outreach efforts are directly responsible for $1.2 million worth of new sponsorship for the Foundation including a contract with Toyota Motor Sales.

After Willow got Toyota on board, Toyota wanted their marketing money go to areas they believed in supporting. The three main areas of implementation for the Foundation and Toyota Motor Sales include collegiate tailgates, can drives and working with the National Association of Agriculture Educators. We handle all the planning and activation including location identification, creating connections with local dealerships and providing an on-site staff.

The other ongoing project of note with FFA is merchandising. In 1999, Willow was engaged to rebrand, reengineer and redesign their apparel and recognition awards and supplies catalogs. The result was a separation of the two and the birth of the Blue (clothes and apparel) and Gold (recognition awards and supplies) catalogs. The result was an explosion in sales from less than $800,000 in 1999 to their current sales in excess of $8 million in 2007. The success has led to Willow rebranding, redesigning and producing the FFA Core catalog which is targeted to agricultural educators selling curriculums and support materials. The growth in sales since the redesign has been exceptional.

Since 1998, our relationship has continued to expand. There are projects, too numerous to detail here, that we have been involved with over the years. They include graphic design and production, logo development, catalog development, identity programs, print production, strategic planning and consultation, web development, special event coordination, product development, photography, publishing and producing the commemorative 75th Anniversary book on the National FFA.