AgriSound
Pollination meets publicity: how we grew AgriSound’s profile
Founded in January 2020 by agri-tech expert Casey Woodward, AgriSound is a York-based vertical AI company using smart listening technologies and proprietary AI algorithms for precision pollination to improve crop yields and habitat monitoring to enhance biodiversity, on a global scale. AgriSound partnered with Fantastic to drive brand awareness and secure further investment to fuel expansion plans.
The Brief.
We were appointed to drive awareness of agri-tech start-up, AgriSound, and the analytical insect listening devices it offers, through an ongoing media relations programme and online content creation.
A key objective was to help the brand secure further investment to aid its ambitious expansion plans and position it as a leading provider of agri-tech innovation to improve crop yields and enhance biodiversity, on a global scale.
The Research.
We began by profiling AgriSound’s audiences – investors, agri-tech innovators, food and drink producers, environmental organisations, and policymakers – to understand their motivations and the challenges they face around food production and security. Alongside this, we mapped the trade, vertical, and mainstream outlets most relevant to those audiences, identifying clear opportunities for the brand to lead conversations.
The Big Idea.
The core focus was to grow AgriSound’s footprint online and in the media by leveraging its partnerships with high-profile brands such as Innocent Drinks, British Sugar, Dole Foods and M&S.
By positioning AgriSound at the intersection of agri-tech innovation, ESG and biodiversity, we could connect the brand’s mission with pressing global challenges around food production and sustainability.
A central part of this strategy was thought leadership. Alongside proactive media outreach, we worked with founder Casey Woodward to develop a series of LinkedIn blogs, designed to highlight his role as a young entrepreneur and authority in agri-tech.
This approach ensured the brand not only featured in the media but also owned its narrative across professional networks.
The Activity
We developed a comprehensive communications strategy to build AgriSound’s profile, incorporating a blend of traditional media relations, thought leadership activity and case studies demonstrating the impact AgriSound’s ‘Polly’ bioacoustic technology plays in enhancing crop yields, and reducing commercial food production costs.
By capitalising on our media contacts and industry experience, we engaged with journalists on a regional and national level, as well as with trade and vertical media to highlight brand partnerships and investment.
By positioning founder, Casey, as an expert and young entrepreneur, we were able to plug AgriSound into relevant ongoing conversations on the topic of agri-tech, securing feature interviews and profiling opportunities across print, radio and TV, including an interview on Channel 4’s ‘Steph’s Packed Lunch’.
Alongside proactive media outreach, we created a series of LinkedIn blogs exploring key themes, such as the suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and why partnerships are a cornerstone within the agri-tech industry. The articles were amplified through AgriSound’s social channels to engage investors, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
Over a 12-month period, we generated 80 pieces of coverage in relevant trade and vertical media, including The Grocer, Farmers Guide, Insider Media and Hort Week.
AgriSound has successfully received additional rounds of funding, in excess of £1 million.
“Working with Fantastic has helped us tell AgriSound’s story to the right people. The coverage and thought leadership activity not only raised our profile with industry and investors but also played a vital role in securing the funding we need to scale our mission of improving crop yields and biodiversity worldwide.”
Casey Woodward, Founder and Chief Executive, AgriSound
“Working with AgriSound gave us the opportunity to showcase how powerful agri-tech innovation can be in tackling global challenges around food production and biodiversity. By combining thought leadership with high-impact media relations, we were able to elevate the brand’s profile, build credibility with investors, and support AgriSound’s goal in securing the funding needed to fuel its next stage of growth.”
Stefanie Hopkins, Communications Director
