Corporate Vision December 2017

10 CORPORATE VISION / December 2017 , c.i.a.green communications GmbH is an integrated communications agency that specialises in products and services fromnature and for nature. We profile the firm to learnmore and find out how they came to be crowned ‘Best Agribusiness-Focused Integrated Communications Agency – Germany’. Empowering Brands Founded in 1997 by Peter Pochmann as Cologne Intertainment Agency, the business first specialised in event management. After four very successful years, Peter merged c.i.a. with another company of his, B&B Unit 1 GmbH. At this point, c.i.a. became a full-service agency – c.i.a. communication GmbH. Now Managing Partner, Peter has been bundling agricultural, marketing and communications expertise through his work at c.i.a.green for more than 30 years, and draws on this wealth of knowledge and experience to drive the firm to success. The mission of c.i.a. green is to ‘Empower brands’ using all the means of communication on offer. This is achieved through the creative expertise that reflects a close understanding of the companies, products and target groups. Alongside this, it also seeks to use integrated campaigns that make the most strategically synchronised use of all communications channels. To enable the highly efficient management of these efforts, c.i.a green has developed a work model it calls SynchroCom. This innovation structures the campaign emergence process and provides huge scope for creativity. Every single work step is unambiguously defined – from market research to core definition of the brand, basic creative idea, target group check of the basic idea, development of all elements of a campaign, right up to rollout – and responsibilities are clearly assigned. This provides a base on which the client companies’ teams and the experts at the agency for the individual communications tools can work together very efficiently and with clear focus on the target. Integrated campaigns can be developed at great speed and without friction losses. Such systems will be particularly vital for the firm moving forward, as the future for the market lies firmly in digitalisation, and a concept known Agribusiness 4.0. Digitalisation in agriculture, the automation of all work processes in the sheds and on the fields, is progressing at great speed. Work on the fields is dominated by satellite-controlled precision farming systems. The industry is adopting a new mindset, prompted by the need to increase efficiency on the one side, and to comply with all environmental regulations on the other. In just a few years, conventional farmers will no longer exist. Farmers will evolve into corporate managers engaged in food production, raw materials for conversion into energy or renewable raw materials for use in industry. The level of training is soaring. Communications behaviour is changing. Additionally, digital communications channels are becoming increasingly important. The speed of innovation in agricultural machinery markets is breath-taking. One product generation chases the next. New systems, new products are popping up all over the place. An abundance of information is accessible around the globe at any time. Even the best-trained agricultural entrepreneurs can lose their way in this flood of information. They are increasingly turning to brands for guidance when sourcing their production technology and operating equipment. Brands that signal clarity, truth and authenticity, thus inspiring confidence in the products and services. The industry can collate complex product and service portfolios under a brand and, in doing so, lastingly occupy and successfully expand a field of competence. The brand relieves the agricultural entrepreneurs of the need for time-consuming searches and comparisons. In doing so, it offers them real benefit in kind. The challenge of the future for firms such as c.i.a.green will be to strengthen existing brands, to establish new brands, and to align them to the markets through the digital channels. WR170021 Overall, for many years now, c.i.a.green has been investing in proprietary market research systems to track the changes in the marketplace sooner than its peers. As well as in creative, dynamic specialists with both agribusiness and marketing/ communications expertise, and in expanding their digital competence. An acquisition drive starting in December 2017 will directly approach all marketing decision-makers in the agricultural industry. The award as ‘Best Agribusiness-Focused Integrated Communications Agency - Germany’ and its 13th nomination for the German Agricultural Marketing Prize will play a key role in this campaign, as the firm seeks to build upon its current success and grow even further. Company: c.i.a.green communications GmbH Address: Frankenwerft 15, Cologne, D-50667, Germany Phone: 00492212722419 Website: www.ciagreen.de Peter Pochmann, Managing Partner