In January 2024, the CRC launched a new endeavor — targeted digital advertising. Below is a message from Steve Lerch with Story Arc Consulting on the impressive successes our campaign has accomplished in just the first few months.

We are 88 days and 49 million impressions into the launch of our digital outreach program with Google Ads. In less than three months we’ve shown pro-rice industry ads 49 million times, our ads have been clicked more than 169,000 times, resulting in the busiest three months our website (CalRice.org) has ever seen. That translates to a more than 550% growth in website traffic year over year.

If you’ve browsed the internet, you’ve seen ads on the tops and sides of websites. That’s where our ads serve. Regardless of whether you’re reading the news, checking sports scores, or looking up recipes, if you’re in the target audience or locations we’ve defined, you’ll see our ads across the web. 

We developed a variety of digital as with pro-rice imagery and tailored messages, ranging from family farmers to environmental benefits to delicious sushi and salmon in floodplain rice fields. Using a variety of targeting technologies, Google Ads allows us to identify (and only show ads to) key audiences. For example, legislative, decision makers, politically engaged Californians, environmental activists, rice lovers, etc. 

While we want all Californians to appreciate rice and the value the California rice industry adds to the state, targeting specific groups consistently while also driving them to be even better informed, is proving to increase awareness.

For more information, contact the CRC’s Communications Manager Katie Cahill at kcahill@calrice.org or (916) 612-8899.