The challenge: The World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF) is an organisation that elevates agricultural innovations and inspires action to end world hunger through award programmes and dialogues. Since 2016, Marchmont has been providing WFPF with strategic support to drive visibility and engagement for their various programs and events, building their reputation and positioning them as global leaders in food systems insights.
Our approach: Over the past few years, the Foundation has sought support from Marchmont to raise awareness and engagement around WFPF’s major activities and events. This includes the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, the World Food Prize (WFP), Top Agri-food Pioneers (TAP) list, Borlaug Field Awards (BFA) and the Innovate for Impact Challenge. To achieve these goals, Marchmont:
- Oversees the annual media launch announcing the World Food Prize Laureate, tapping into unique stories for each Laureate to gain coverage not only in top-tier media, but also in select specialist and regional outlets.
- Develops and disseminates toolkits (including digital assets such as GIFs, videos and graphic cards accompanied by social media posts) to promote submissions for their various awards programmes.
- Provides tailored media support in launching Laureate letters or statements to achieve global coverage.
- Identifies and secures high-profile journalists to moderate sessions at the Dialogue.
- Leads the WFPF’s in-person press office at the annual Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, including pre-event media invites; on-site liaising, press announcements and press conference; and daily newsletters providing highlights from each day of the event.
Outcomes: By re-structuring the media approach to announcing the World Food Prize Laureate, this led to media coverage immediately skyrocketing in the first year and the announcement typically still receives 300+ pieces of media coverage.
- Over the past three years alone, Marchmont has secured more than 1900 pieces of media coverage for the World Food Prize Laureate announcement, including top-tier outlets like the Associated Press, Devex, EURONEWS, Forbes, France 24, The Washington Post and more. (Marchmont has successfully launched media announcements for Laureates such as Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin, Dr. Cary Fowler, Heidi Kühn, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig and Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, among others.)
- In addition to this, Marchmont has also secured more than 1800 pieces of coverage for the Borlaug Dialogue.
- Through targeted outreach Marchmont helped to continuously increase nominations and attendances for the Foundation’s programs and events. In 2024, more than 1500 delegates from 65 countries attended the Borlaug in Des Moines Iowa.
