Super Bowl Commercial Puts Spotlight on Illinois Farming Family
An Illinois pig farmer and his family will be starring in a Super Bowl commercial in select Illinois markets on Sunday. Chad Bell, his wife Brittany, and children Amelia and Charlie, will appear in the commercial, titled “The Corporation.” In addition to finishing 4,800 pigs per year as a production partner with a local farm family, the Bell family grows 1,200 acres of corn, soybeans, hay, wheat and cover crops in Viola.
“My family’s farming roots go back to the 1800s,” Bell says. His family has called eastern Mercer County home since the 1960s. Bell is the sixth generation on his family’s farm, still working with his father, Greg, who is semi-retired but still plays a strong support role on the farm. Bell is responsible for the day-to-day decisions on the farm.
Over the years, he’s had many opportunities to be a voice for agriculture because he was simply willing to say “yes,” he says.
“I've had the opportunity to host state and federal elected officials on my farm. You don’t realize how impactful you can be until you put yourself into those situations,” Bell says. “If we don’t take the time to advocate for our livelihood – agriculture – who will? If everyone did a little, nobody would have to do a lot.”
We Are the 96%
The ad is part of a new campaign – We are the 96% – which is an effort of the Illinois Farm Families (IFF) coalition. The IFF coalition is comprised of the Illinois Beef Association, IL Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Soybean Association and Midwest Dairy.
Bell says the campaign came about as a result of consumer research IFF has conducted over the past couple of years – when asked, respondents said they think only 47% of Illinois farms are family-owned, with the other 53% being corporately owned.
This is a far cry from the actual number of Illinois farms that are family owned – 96%.
“We just really want to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers,” Bell says. “We really want to help consumers see that that of all the farmsteads they see while driving down the highway or interstate, 96% are owned by Illinois farm families.”
Bell is passionate about helping consumers understand agriculture and plans to keep people regularly updated in 2023 on what’s going on at his farm through short videos on social media.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people wanted to know more about where their food was coming from. That drove a big movement towards local foods and local food processing,” Bell says.
There’s no doubt that there are many misperceptions about pig farming, but one that he continues to hear is that pigs should be raised outdoors.
“I think a lot about the parallels between humans and pigs. We don’t like to be outside when its freezing cold or blazing hot. Pigs don’t really like that either,” he explains. “We turn our A/C on in the house when it gets hot and the furnace on when it gets cold. Raising pigs in a barn allows us to take the weather variable out of the equation and keep the pigs comfortable year around.”
A Humbling Honor
Although Bell never envisioned himself making an appearance in the Super Bowl commercial lineup, he says it’s been a memorable experience and honor.
“It's a humbling feeling to know that together with my wife and family we were asked to be involved in this,” Bell says. “Helping showcase Illinois family farmers is not easily describable; but being part of the Illinois family farmers – it’s amazing.”
The ad will air on Feb. 12, during the first half of the big game, in the Champaign, Springfield, St. Louis, Peoria/Bloomington, Rockford and Quad Cities markets, and will also be aired on streaming services statewide during the second half of February.
“I can tell you it’s not something I ever thought I would say in my lifetime, that my family would be on a Super Bowl commercial,” he laughs.
More than 25 families from across Illinois (including five with pork ties) will be featured throughout the campaign, which will shift to more of an earned media strategy as it builds toward the spring ad flight (April 3 through June 25). Included in that flight are more 30-second TV spots, radio ads, digital ads, print ads and social media promotion opportunities.
Check out this behind-the-scenes video that explains the campaign from the point of view of some of the farmers included. The campaign website, Wearethe96.org, will officially launch after the ad airs on Super Bowl Sunday.
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