Wedding Video Provides Lessons In Marketing [Opinion]

About a month ago, I was at a meeting designed specifically for editors in the agriculture industry. One of the speakers at this meeting led off his presentation by showing a video that’s become quite the rage on YouTube this summer. The video shows an entire wedding party making its way down the aisle for the big day. But it’s like no other wedding party entrance you’ve ever seen: there’s dancing, loud music, cheers from the audience, even sunglasses. It’s guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of anyone watching it. To watch the video, click here.

After showing this video, the speaker asked each member of the audience to think about any lesson they might learn from this video, specifically lessons about how they might be able to better market their business. Here’s a sampling of what we as an audience came up with, and what you could learn, as well.

• Don’t get stuck in tradition. This is an easy trap for anyone to fall into. When faced with a difficult decision, it’s simple to just say, “that’s the way we’ve always done it, so that’s how we’re going to do it now.” But the best growers and business men and women recognize that change should be viewed as an opportunity, not a challenge. Where would today’s high-density orchard designs be without this attitude?

• The old rules no longer apply. One of the best examples of this is how new apple varieties are introduced today. Many of the most popular new varieties are falling into the “managed” category, meaning that production will be limited to certain areas. As we’re learning, it’s not always easy to break away from the old rules, and in fact several in the industry still question how managing varieties will truly benefit every grower. But even in that regard, the rules are changing. Witness the recent formation of a new company of New York apple growers who will grow, pack, market, and sell new variety selections from Cornell University’s Apple Breeding Program. You’ll learn more about this operation in future issues, but one of the primary goals of this group is to make sure that growers throughout the state have the opportunity to take part in this new endeavor.

• There are always new ways to engage your audience (or, in this case, your customers). As a magazine, we’re learning this with our efforts to drive traffic to our website, GrowingProduce.com, through electronic newsletters, online videos, and more. On the farming side, I saw an example of this on a recent visit to Weaver’s Orchard in Morgantown, PA, the subject of this month’s cover story. While in their farm market, I noticed a couple of signs posted on the walls highlighting the farm’s efforts in reducing the use of pesticides through mating disruption, pheromone traps, biological controls, and other tools. This is a great way to not only educate your customers about your farming practices, but also to make them feel more comfortable buying from you.

• Always have a plan, and make sure the whole team is involved. When you watch that wedding party video, you’ll notice that every member of the bridal party has a specific role to play, and each seems to have their own skill. Similarly, at your farm, there will be individuals with different levels of expertise — including yourself. Don’t try to think that you, or anyone else on your staff, has to be an expert in all subjects. In today’s market, it’s probably a good move to make sure you have, among other things, someone skilled at marketing, another who’s strong in communication, and someone else who’s familiar with new technology. If your business plan is based on people with specific strengths handling certain responsibilities, you’ll be better off.

There were other lessons that our group thought of that could also apply to you, including being different and standing out, using the element of surprise, and taking a serious situation and turning it into an idea that will have your customers saying, “wow.” If you manage to take even a couple of these points, and build them into your growing operation, you’ll hopefully be able to stand out.

Going back to the video, if you want proof of just how relevant it can be to everyone, just look at the stats. It’s only been online since July 19, and has already been viewed by almost 23 million people. In fact, more than 100,000 people have posted a comment about it, an astronomical figure.
Oh, and if you want a laugh, add the word “divorce” to your search. There’s a spoof video on YouTube with a similar couple, only this time they’re heading to divorce court. No one’s perfect, I guess.