Read ‘Em & Reap
New product launch brings below-ground pests to the surface, positioning Victrato® seed treatment as the winning hand to play against them at planting.
CLIENT: Syngenta US (Crop Protection)
PROJECT TYPE: Integrated advertising campaign, new product launch
SERVICES PROVIDED: Creative strategy, creative concepting, copy direction, scriptwriting, copywriting
Project Details
THE CHALLENGE:
When launching Victrato®, a powerful soybean seed treatment designed to prevent early-season pest damage, Syngenta needed to help growers understand and act on a hidden threat: nematodes and early-season diseases that damage crops below the soil surface. Our launch campaign had to make an unseen problem feel urgent, tangible, and worth addressing at planting while positioning Victrato as the smart, proactive choice.
THE INSIGHT:
Because nematode issues aren’t typically visible until irreversible damage has occurred, many farmers either underestimate the level of nematode pressure in their fields (and opt to risk not pre-treating their seeds), or simply don’t know they have an infestation until it’s too late. Early-season damage and subsequent yield loss from pests like Soybean Cyst Nematodes can be devastating for a farmer’s bottom line, so the stakes of this below-ground battle are higher than many farmers realize.
THE IDEA:
With nematodes and early-season diseases operating underground and out of sight, we needed a way to make an invisible threat feel immediate, risky, and real to growers. We reframed our nematode nemeses as unfair opponents in a high-stakes game, where the outcome has real impacts on a farmer’s profitability and livelihood.
Using the familiar tension of a poker match and drawing inspiration from Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s iconic “Dogs Playing Poker” painting, our concept framed Victrato as the ace up a grower’s sleeve to protect soybean crops from hidden risks from day one. These pests don’t play fair, but there’s a way to stack the deck against them — Victrato soybean seed treatment.
This playful, familiar metaphor allowed us to translate complex, below-the-surface agronomy into a simple, emotionally engaging story about risk, strategy, and control, making the product’s value clear while giving the launch a distinctive, memorable creative platform that could extend across video, print, audio, digital, and web executions.
THE EXECUTION:
After our poker-playing nematodes came to life, we rolled out an integrated advertising campaign to build awareness and drive consideration for Victrato ahead of planting decisions:
Video (YouTube preroll & digital): Our CGI hero spot dramatized the battle against nematodes and introduced the “stack the deck” message. We also leveraged our Dr. Bill Biggfoote character (Myth or Fact campaign) and created a playful teaser video to cross-promote the product and tease the Victrato launch.
Print & Radio: Extended the gaming metaphor with memorable poker-themed messaging to build recognition and urgency during planning and purchasing windows
Digital Display & Paid Social: Reinforced our core narrative with targeted awareness and educational messaging driving growers to learn more
Product Web Page: Explained Victrato’s benefits, provided product education, and supported conversion from campaign interest to product consideration
THE IMPACT:
This campaign successfully transformed an invisible agronomic problem into a clear and compelling grower story, helping farmers better understand the risk of nematodes and early disease while positioning Victrato as a strategic, proactive solution.
By pairing a memorable creative platform with a coordinated multi-channel rollout, the launch strengthened awareness, drove engagement with product information, and equipped sales and retail partners with a distinctive, easy-to-communicate narrative around the product’s value.