From The Cotton Board:
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) – During its Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida The Cotton Board reviewed and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s proposed 2016 budget of $76 million to the Secretary of Agriculture. This is a $4 million decrease from the 2015 budget. Based on projected collections, The Cotton Board will draw approximately $8 million from reserves to fund the program in 2016. Even with a reduction in the overall 2016 budget, funds for consumer-based programs will increase. Through a new ad campaign and a tighter focus on research and marketing areas that will yield the greatest returns for cotton, the Cotton Research and Promotion Program has a clear goal for the coming year, building cotton’s market share.
In Cotton Incorporated’s 2016 plan, many longer-term focused research programs will be streamlined in order to increase funding for the company’s new “Favorites” advertising campaign. This campaign, which is based on considerable consumer research such as focus groups, features a strong reminder to consumers as to why their cotton garments tend to be their favorites. There is an additional call-to-action message to check the fiber-content label before buying. Television advertising will remain an important medium for 2016, but the new campaign was designed to also work effectively in digital media and with Cotton Incorporated’s supply chain marketing activities.
The budget and plan, along with The Cotton Board’s recommendation of approval, will be forwarded to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for final approval.
During its Business Session, The Cotton Board elected new officers to guide the Program, including Aaron Barcellos to serve as Chairman for the 2015/2016 Program year. Barcellos, a cotton producer from Los Banos, California commented on his election, saying, “Over the years I’ve grown very attached to the cotton industry, and I am grateful for this opportunity to give back just a portion of what it has meant to me and my family. My goal for the coming year is to continue to foster the excellent relationship we have with Cotton Incorporated and to use all of our resources to help reverse the current downtrend in cotton’s market share. There are many people in the cotton industry who are depending on us to make a difference, and I believe that together we can.”
Cotton Board Chairman, Aaron Barcellos, presents a silver plate to outgoing Chairman, David Grant
The full slate of newly elected Cotton Board officers is as follows:
Aaron Barcellos, Producer from Los Banos, California, Chairman
Janet Ydavoy, Importer from Yardley, Pennsylvania, Vice-Chair;
George LaCour Jr., Producer from Morganza, Louisiana, Secretary; and
Peter McGrath, Importer from Dallas, Texas, Treasurer.