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What if California
agriculture can come up with a symbol of
itself that appeals to the non-farm
population? People connect easier with a
symbol than a gigantic industry.
Maybe agriculture needs its own Marlboro
Man. Many California farmers fit that
square-jawed, rugged-framed, hardy image
of one ready to take on all challenges.
The folks who create ads directed at
farmers for the partnering State
Fund-Farm Bureau insurance company have
built a campaign around a steely-eyed,
rough-hewn farmer type with a day or
two's growth of beard and a battered
baseball type cap (the bill facing
forward, thank you). They must be
convinced it's an image farmers can
identify with, but what about
suburbanites?
The agricultural chemical companies
often portray in their ads a strong,
silent, masculine and muscular farmer
type, always wearing denims, if not
actual Levis, and always sporting boots.
Sometimes the jeans are not soiled
enough to be believable, and the boots
are often too new, but the thrust of the
thought is clear.
It makes me wonder where they find those
models, since the ads in the consumer
magazines for everything from deodorant
to cell phones feature slack-jawed,
tousle-haired, young men with sulky
expressions and phenomenal abs. They
probably wouldn't last half a day
picking grapes.
Every once in a while an enterprising
reporter finds a few women farmers in
our great state. They are likely to be
pictured wearing jeans, large belt
buckles, plaid shirts and perhaps cowboy
hats, maybe even Birkenstocks. They are
not likely to feel represented by a male
image, great abs or not.
And then consider the wide-ranging
ethnicity that is basic to California
farmers. Even the huge dairy industry,
divided between Portuguese and Dutch
descendants, will have trouble agreeing
on a suitable image. The Dutch
insistence on someone with a beard will
leave the Portuguese contingent cold.
The Japanese-American constituency is
strong among California farmers. Many in
this group must feel gratified that the
Secretary of the Department of Food and
Agriculture is Japanese. But I think
many of them agree that that pony tail
has to go, A.G. Armenian farmers were
never happier than when George
Deukmejian was governor.
So maybe it's impossible to find a human
representative to portray the great
width and breadth of what is perhaps
California's leading industry. If so,
what's wrong with a symbolic, even
inanimate symbol?
Pillsbury has done wonders with its
doughboy.
And how about the staid American Family
Life Assurance Co. allowing itself to be
represented by that stupid duck that
says nothing buy "Aflac" in tune, out of
tune, in distress or in victory.
Who cannot identify the gecko that is
Geico, representing the insurance
company? That's two insurance companies,
once thought to be the stiffest and
staunchest of all businesses. If they
can gain attention and identification
with talking animals, agriculture in
California might do well to pay
attention.
Animation is an entertaining and clever
technique. Perhaps the image needed is
an animated cucumber, bell pepper or
cantaloupe. Put to a vote among the
happy cows it is sure to gain full
approval.
Don Curlee is a veteran freelance ag
writer and editor based in Clovis,
Calif. E-mail: agwriter1@sbcglobal.net.
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