Doing Life with Farmers & Merchants

Client: Farmers & Merchants Bank

SITUATION:

Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M) felt a need to reinvigorate their current customers and employees, while also hoping to attract new customers. After several years of using the same creative in their marketing efforts, Sells and F&M determined that it was time for something new.

GOALS:

• Energize current customers and employees on the F&M brand
• Attract new customers
• Introduce the F&M brand to the digital space

PLAN:

Based out of Stuttgart, AR, Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M) has always cared and participated in whatever community its privileged to serve. And for those communities, commitment and understanding are crucial. After many brainstorms and probably too much coffee, a running theme began of F&M being here for its community both in spirit and in the services it offers.

Ultimately, we landed on the idea of “Here for Life.” Combining black and white photography with the feel-good messaging of Here for Life, the campaign look and felt nostalgic and timeless ­– showcasing F&M’s longevity and commitment within the community while also tugging at the heartstrings.

So, we’ve got the idea. Now what?

We did a traditional run of strategic print and outdoor ads, but we put a lot of focus on digital and social. This was F&M’s first real dive into the digital space, so we wanted this campaign to prove our effectiveness as a marketing agency (duh), but to also prove the effectiveness of digital advertising. So, you’re welcome, Facebook.

RESULTS:

F&M were pleased not only with the creative work, but also with the media strategy that got them the following results:

• Click-through-rate was extremely high for this campaign. Facebook was around .25% and display was around .22%. The industry standard is usually between .05% and .1% - this was more than double the high end of “average!”
• Users saw the ads an average of 11 times.

You know it’s a successful campaign when the client asks you to do it again, and that’s exactly what happened with F&M. So, be on the lookout for the sequel, Here for Life II: The Secret of the Ooze.

SERVICES:

Creative Development; Copywriting; Media Planning; Media Buying; Traditional Marketing; Digital Marketing

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