After discovering the public’s negative perceptions of many commonly used agricultural messages, images and themes, the PIE Center’s follow-up research with the Agriculture Institute of Florida (AIF) will explore what types of messages are most effective when targeting Florida’s young adult opinion leaders.

In 2011, the PIE Center wanted to determine what other states were using for agricultural awareness campaigns and what type of message is most effective when targeting Florida’s young adult opinion leaders.

To fund this new round of research, the Agriculture Institute of Florida’s fundraising campaign collected more than $15,000. A content analysis and series of six focus groups were used to examine nationwide online agricultural campaigns and quantify their success. The six focus groups targeted the perceptions of young opinion leaders, who were shown a variety of messages and asked for their reaction.

The main outcome of this research will be a better understanding of Florida’s young opinion leaders’ perceptions and attitudes toward messages addressing agricultural issues. The research will also help determine whether young opinion leaders prefer agricultural messages framed logically, ethically or emotionally, as well as what message frames and concepts are most effective.

The PIE Center and AIF will jointly release the results in early spring. Training workshops and professional development seminars are planned, focusing on how to use the findings to enhance industry communication efforts. Stay tuned for more information on this project.

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