PROJECT
XCU™ Slow-Release Fertilizer Launch Campaign For
Agrium Advanced Technologies

CHALLENGE/OPPORTUNITY
Agrium Advanced Technologies (AAT), a company known for its slow- and controlled-release fertilizer technologies in the golf and horticulture industries, was ready to launch XCU, a new polymer-coated, sulfur-coated urea fertilizer into the landscape and lawn care markets. Slow-release fertilizer technologies do just what the name says—release nitrogen fertilizer slowly and efficiently over a longer period of time. The benefits to lawn care operators include the need for fewer applications, less labor and overall lower fertilizer costs. Canyon was asked to develop a strategic marketing communications campaign for the launch.

APPROACH
By working closely with the AAT team, Canyon developed an integrated marketing communications plan to launch XCU. After conducting research on the lawn care market, Canyon found that landscape professionals and lawn care operators (LCOs) were informed or misinformed about how slow-release fertilizers work. The solution was to develop a "Fertilizer 101" campaign to educate the target audience about why slow-release fertilizers are preferable to ordinary fertilizers for economic and environmental reasons, and why XCU is the preferred choice. Messaging was developed to speak directly to the target audience's pressing concerns, such as rising fuel and labor costs, increasing fertilizer costs and environmental issues. A notebook design was utilized in the launch ad to attract attention in the major landscape publications, and this education-focused design theme was extended to many other communications, including specialty ads, publication inserts, a white paper, direct mail, e-mail and even the company's trade show exhibit design. Canyon also stepped up communications to increase show traffic with pre-show direct mailers, a cover tip on Landscape Management Magazine, a press conference to launch XCU, news releases, appropriate show giveaways and prizes and interactive Flash presentations to introduce the product to show attendees.

MEASUREMENT
The ROI metrics for the pull strategies executed in the XCU launch were remarkable. Canyon meticulously tracked leads at the booth, response to direct mail, Web traffic, press conference attendance and editorial placements as indicators of success in meeting our objectives.

Results included:

• Nearly 1,000 leads were gathered at the trade show
• A 24 percent response from top LCOs to the dimensional
  direct mailer
• Web traffic to the XCU page on AAT's website quadrupled
• Several inquiries were made via the 800# as a result of the ad
• 12 members of the media attended the press conference,
  including every major industry publication
• 17 articles appeared in publications, representing $43,000 media equivalency value with 120,000 likely impressions; cost per impression was $0.15

Because the product launch has resulted in AAT seeing more "pull through the channel demand" and customers asking their distributors for XCU, the company is continuing the program. Additionally, Canyon is working with AAT to extend similar strategies with distributors and formulators.