Statewide campaign featuring Illinois farm families is seen 50+ million times

Working together, Illinois agriculture has left a big impression on the non-farming segment of the state. The Illinois Farm Families team dialed in on one important message – that 96 percent of the farms in Illinois are family-owned and operated – and shared that message more than 50 million times in 2023.

A summary report of the “We Are the 96%” campaign concludes that this was the single most impactful campaign to date from the Illinois Farm Families (IFF) coalition. Partners in the coalition are Illinois Beef Association, IL Corn, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Soybean Association, and Midwest Dairy.

The campaign, and the sharing of this single statistic, resulted from consumer research conducted by IFF in 2022. First, the research showed that when consumers know who is behind their food, trust grows. Second, when non-farmers see that families are farming in Illinois and not faceless farming “entities,” real connection happens.

Here are some of the most important and impactful stats of the “We are the 96%” campaign:

• More than 40 Illinois farm families were featured
• Consumers who identify farms as being family-owned is trending upward – 49% family owned in 2024 compared to 47% in 2022
• Back-to-back Super Bowl features in 2023 and 2024
• 9 million digital media impressions
• 120K website views
• 300 news placements in local and national media
• Award winning campaign, including Consumer Best In Show at the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) 2024 Best of NAMA Awards

FULL REPORT

You can still experience IFF’s “We are the 96%” campaign at www.wearethe96.org or watch the videos that promoted this important farm family focus in Illinois.