Earlier this month, Organically Grown Company (OGC) began rolling out a new PSA-style campaign promoting organic ag called “Organic Is the Answer.”

“Inspired by the Organic Trade Association’s recently released Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit, our team at Organically Grown Company set out to leverage this great OTA resource and create ‘Organic Is the Answer,’ a public service awareness campaign that’s all about sharing the benefits of organic agriculture,” said Krista Kinder, Organically Grown Company’s VP of Marketing.

Krista Kinder, VP of Marketing, Organically Grown Company

The “Organic Is the Answer” campaign includes an informational website with resources for retailers, consumers, and anyone else interested in organic ag. It also has an advertising component, with a fall schedule of ads appearing in major Northwest cities via public radio, digital and print media, and decals on OGC’s own trucks as well as the cargo bikes of its delivery partner B-Line. In addition, Kinder said OGC is taking advantage of its own digital media channels “to spread the word to our stakeholder community, which include a broad network of organic allies.” 

“Our aim is to increase demand and build trust in the organic label,” Kinder said. “We’ve been listening to the requests from our customers and suppliers who are asking for help telling the organic story to shoppers. Like us, they want people to understand what it truly stands for and why it's the gold standard.”

Kinder said the title of the campaign came about earlier this year when OGC was working on its annual Benefit Report. “We were discussing and writing about the positive impacts of organic as it relates to soil health, carbon sequestration, water conservation, protecting pollinators, and healthy communities and realized that ‘organic is the answer’ to so many challenges and brings so much good to people and the planet,” she said. “It’s the original good-for-people, good-for-planet choice.”

The “Organic Is the Answer” website provides a wealth of information, including numerous statistics on the benefits of organic. For example, it notes that toxic pesticide residues are 55 percent lower in organic vegetables and 115 times lower in organic fruits compared to conventional produce. It also shares that organic agriculture increases pollinator diversity by up to 50 percent and overall biodiversity by 30 percent.  

The website specifically addresses the issue of regenerative agriculture, noting that “organic is regenerative but not all regenerative is organic.” As it further explains, “Organic farmers are required to maintain or improve the natural resources on and around their farms—building healthy soils, safeguarding water sources, and reducing erosion through regenerative techniques like crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting. But not all products called ‘regenerative’ use organic practices and may still use toxic pesticides, GMOs, and more.”

“We’ve been listening to the requests from our customers and suppliers who are asking for help telling the organic story to shoppers. Like us, they want people to understand what it truly stands for and why it's the gold standard.” - Krista Kinder

“The conversation about regenerative is getting a lot of traction right now, and it’s something we have to address in the context of organic,” Kinder said. “The marketing around ‘regenerative’ can be misleading to consumers and doesn't have clear standards, no agreed-upon definitions or transparency. Organic has all of the attributes of regenerative and beyond that guarantees non-GMO and no synthetic fertilizers. It’s important for shoppers to understand the many benefits and guarantees of certified organic practices and be confident about what they’re putting in their cart.” 

Retailers, consumers, and other interested parties can download a variety of resources from the “Organic Is the Answer” website, including fact sheets, email signatures, zoom backgrounds, social media graphics, banner ads, and more. Merchandise such as hats, totes, bandanas, and socks are available for purchase, and OGC has been sending these items out to partners and influencers to spread the word about the campaign. All merchandise profits will be donated to organizations involved in growing the organic movement and promoting a healthier planet.  

Kinder said the campaign’s primary target audiences are “organic-curious, neutral, or undecided shoppers” and “our retail customers (to support the education of their staff and the interaction they have with shoppers in their stores).” However, she said that OGC hopes the campaign will attract a wide range of interested parties. “We want the campaign’s website and resources to be tools for everyone. We invite people to use it and make it their own. It’s intended to serve the entire organic food industry, teachers, parents, and the community at large in any way it can be useful.”  

To learn more about OGC’s “Organic Is the Answer” campaign, visit www.organicistheanswer.com.