From field to digital strategy, students on the intensive programme at Digital Campus in Rennes mobilised to devise innovative communications solutions in support of French agricultural cooperatives.

Competing in a national challenge, they will present their project against other campuses in the Digital Campus network, with a verdict expected on 27 May. At the heart of this collective challenge: shining a light on an organisational model that remains largely unknown to the general public, yet is essential to food sovereignty and the local economy. 

Agricultural cooperatives are not like ordinary businesses. They bring together farmers who are simultaneously their suppliers, owners, and leading ambassadors. Rooted in local territories, they represent 75% of French farmers and alone account for the production of half of the country's agri-food output. Yet their public profile remains discreet. 

It is precisely to shift this perception that the national challenge brief was designed. The goal: to encourage cooperatives to adopt a flexible digital solution, accessible to all, capable of strengthening their brand awareness and engagement among both internal and external communities. 

Students at Digital Campus in Rennes approached the project as a true 360° mission, carefully building a strategy designed to last. Three target audiences structured their thinking: t

  • he farmer-cooperative members,
  • cooperative employees,
  • other stakeholders (institutions, partners, the general public).

For each audience, differentiated engagement mechanisms were proposed.

Beyond the creative work, students had to think like strategists. Each proposal was accompanied by clear KPIs (key performance indicators) to allow cooperatives to measure the effectiveness of the solution. Engagement rates, publication frequency, changes in perceived brand awareness, internal participation, and levels of interaction between audiences: everything was designed to ensure the impact would be tangible. 

This national challenge represents a genuine testing ground for students, who bring together their skills in branding, UX design, content strategy, social media management, and data analysis. For the Rennes campus, it is also an opportunity to demonstrate its students' ability to tackle complex challenges with a human-centred approach grounded in reality. 

The verdict will be announced on 27 May: in the meantime, the students at Digital Campus in Rennes can already be proud of having championed a bold, innovative vision that is deeply rooted in the values of the cooperative economy.