Next&Co has been appointed to lead strategy, planning and media buying for Australian rural supplier Combined Rural Traders (CRT), kicking off the partnership with a new cross-platform campaign.
The independent digital agency will manage all CRT’s TV, radio, print and digital media planning, buying and strategy, focused on maintaining the brand’s presence in market and building reach.
CRT, established in Orange, NSW, in 1970, was formed by a small group of local independent rural retailers determined to secure better deals to pass onto their farming customers.
Fast forward 50 years, and CRT is part of Australia’s largest independent rural retailing group, with more than 295 outlets focused on supporting crop protection and animal health. CRT has continued its commitment to providing knowledge and expertise to local communities.
To reinforce this dedication to regional farming communities, Next&Co partnered with creative agency GK Collective for the new “It starts with CRT” campaign.
For the first time, the cross-channel campaign stepped into the farmers’ shoes to showcase their relationship with CRT, particularly the support CRT offers for all farming activities, from cropping to animal health.
The campaign has been rolled out across TV and print, with an initial call to action – “It Starts with CRT”, while the digital component of the campaign includes a retargeting strategy to help customers find their local store.
John Vlasakakis, Next&Co co-founder, said: “We are thrilled to be working with CRT. As part of Australia’s largest independent rural retailing group, CRT has a strong track record in-market for its knowledge and commitment to supporting regional farmers through all the challenges of farming in Australia.
“Our appointment to CRT’s media buying will focus on maintaining their brand authority and position in the industry, while also building reach and share of eyeballs.
“We’ve taken a particularly strategic approach to CRT’s digital campaigns to capture data across interested topics, themes, enquiry rates and audience segmentation, as well as branded search from the above-the-line campaign so we can build audiences at scale.”
Sarah Wilcock, Nutrien Ag Solutions national marketing manager of independent business, said: “This campaign distils the relationship that farmers share with their local CRT store, being the first point of call for any farming activity, from cropping to drenching.
“The inspiration for the campaign was the relationships between farmers and CRT stores that the business has watched grow and flourish over time, while facing the challenges and changes in the industry.”
The CRT appointment follows Next&Co’s recent win of the SEO retainer for Australian ecommerce provider New Aim, and the media and marketing account for Ahoy Club, the Malouf-owned global superyacht charter business.
