Homegrown Sustainability
Multi-channel awareness campaign tells Chicagoans about the sustainability superpower growing right in their backyard: Illinois corn.
CLIENT: Illinois Corn Marketing Board
PROJECT TYPE: Print ad series for The Chicago Tribune, integrated ad campaign
SERVICES PROVIDED: Creative strategy, creative concepting, copy direction, copywriting, scriptwriting
Project Details
THE CHALLENGE:
The Illinois Corn Marketing Board wanted to connect with Chicago-area consumers who are largely removed from the world of agriculture and unaware of the role Illinois corn plays in advancing sustainability. Our challenge was to make the environmental benefits of IL corn — including cleaner-burning fuel, carbon reduction and sequestration via cover crops, and production of renewable materials — feel tangible, relevant, and worth supporting in everyday life.
THE INSIGHT:
While a drive through The Prairie State proves that corn is everywhere, its broader impact on the Illinois economy, the environment, and our daily lives isn’t visible for most people living in urban or suburban areas. These folks care about sustainability and taking care of the planet, but they don’t always see where they fit into the equation. We needed to find a way to bring our urban audience out into the field — or bring the field to them — to create a more tangible connection to Illinois corn and its lesser-known impacts on renewable energy, materials, and sustainable farming practices.
THE IDEA:
In this concept, we centered our thinking on the following statement: Cleaner, greener choices are closer than you’d think. We positioned Illinois corn as a hidden sustainability hero, connecting what’s grown in rural fields downstate to the small, everyday decisions that collectively drive a more sustainable future. By bringing our target audience from the city into the field or showing how Illinois corn impacts daily moments like driving, shopping, or ordering takeout, we could make sustainability feel more personal, local, and actionable while educating consumers about the broader benefits of Illinois corn.
THE EXECUTION:
We brought this idea to life via a highly visual, easy-to-digest integrated campaign, championed by four print ads:
Print series: A suite of seasonal full-page ads in The Chicago Tribune Sunday edition, with the first two establishing the connection to rural fields and the second two highlighting IL corn’s presence in viewers’ daily lives
Visual system: Lifestyle photography grounded in everyday scenarios, layered with handwritten-style annotations to guide understanding, provide context, and create immediacy while a stamp-style graphic element tied each ad together
Messaging approach: Plainspoken, benefit-led copy that translates complex agricultural and environmental concepts into clear consumer value
Integrated support: Radio spots and paid & organic social content to extend reach and reinforce key messages
THE IMPACT:
This campaign helped bridge the gap between agriculture and everyday life, making Illinois corn feel visible, relevant, and impactful to a broader audience. By translating complex sustainability benefits into clear, relatable stories, the work drove strong awareness and engagement across channels.
The print series generated significant reach through The Chicago Tribune, while supporting media drove additional impressions, social engagement, and increased traffic to the Illinois Corn website.
The client was incredibly pleased with the campaign, viewing our work as a meaningful and powerful step forward to educate consumers and strengthen the connection between Illinois communities and the farmers helping to build a more sustainable future.