Complete Co-Op Guidelines

The Co-Op Guidelines Have Been Updated 

Find the 2021 Guidelines 

 Co-Op Program

Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company encourages agents to promote their business in their local communities. Through the Co-Op Advertising Program, agents can be reimbursed for a portion of their advertising expenses. This program is designed to help agents grow their business and also ensure consistent brand messaging on both the state and regional level.

Quick Reference

• Logos and Files
• Definition of Categories
• Reimbursement Levels
• Requesting Reimbursement 
  • Submit a Reimbursement Request for Print Advertising 
  • Submit a Request for Reimbursement for Signage
  • Submit a Reimbursement Request for TV/Radio Advertising
  • Submit a Reimbursement Request for Branded Material

Co-Op Guidelines

GFBMIC Co-Op Program Approval Process

The Agency Manager will have the authority to make all decisions regarding local participation in this program, and checks will be made payable only to the Agency Manager unless he/she designates payment should go to a specific agent on the Co-Op Expense Form. The Agency Manager must submit in writing if he/she has assigned a specific agent designee to handle county advertising.

All co-op submissions should be submitted through the Coop Expense Form, where they will be reviewed by Chris Mundey in the Sales Department. After submissions are approved, they will be forwarded to the Information/Public Relations Department to be processed for payment. One critical component that will be evaluated for approval is the use of a proper GFB logo. Inappropriate or unauthorized logos used in submissions will not be authorized for reimbursement. 

Co-Op Program Details

The Agency Manager (or designee) is responsible for contracting, placing, and paying for the advertising. Agency Managers & Agents are responsible for paying the advertising cost, prior to requesting reimbursement. Proof of payment (e.g. copy of check or credit card transaction) must be submitted to qualify for reimbursement. Payment for advertising cannot be made with a county Farm Bureau check. Some advertising - such as print, digital and promotional items not purchased through a Preferred Vendor - requires prior approval from the Info/PR Department.

Each county is assigned a co-op tier based upon the size of the agency and the tier determines how much a county can be reimbursed for co-op expenses in the calendar year.

Tier 1                County can be reimbursed up to $5,000.

Tier 2                County can be reimbursed up to $7,000.

Tier 3                County can be reimbursed up to $10,000.

Logos and Disclaimers

Improper logo use is the largest reason submissions are rejected – please get pre-approval of logos prior to purchase if there is any question. Also, be aware that many “graphic arts” departments of various vendors simply pull logos from the internet, or recreate them with incorrect fonts and colors.  Logos can be accessed here, on Sharepoint or by contacting coop@gfb.org.

• All advertising must have the correct, unaltered, original corporate logo with ® registration mark to be considered for co-op.
• Agents must use the Farm Bureau Insurance logo or Farm Bureau Bank logo for all co-op advertising. 
• County logos cannot be used for insurance advertising. 
• Note: Any phrases used must be secondary to whatever GFB logo is selected.  

GFB logo guidelines are defined by the GFB style guide administered by Federation Public Relations/Marketing. Additionally, a style guide is being published for use with graphics vendors, print shops and others who need to place or print our logo.

Billing

• Invoices cannot be accepted directly from the media.
• Requests for coop reimbursement payment must be submitted within 3 months of the transaction/invoice date. Claims for reimbursement for coop dates November and prior must be submitted by the end of November. December coop reimbursement requests should be turned in NO LATER THAN December 31 of the same year. 
• Also, a county may not “BORROW” against the next year’s budget, budget books close at the end of the year and all expenses possible must be processed by then.
• Agencies in adjoining counties may “pool” their efforts to purchase advertising, but coordination of such a program must be handled by one of the agencies, a district sales manager, or by the media outlet and will not be handled by home office. Each agency must be billed separately for its portion of the advertising so the co-op amounts can be deducted from the proper county advertising budget.
• Counties cannot exceed their tier budget. Counties cannot "borrow" budget capacity from other counties, we have tiered capacity by agency size, but the overall budget is limited.

Co-Branding (putting another logo on your ad)

At this time there is no approved “co-branding” agreement with our Brokerage carriers or Farm Bureau Alliance. Agents are not allowed by the Sales Department or Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Company to use brokerage logos (such as Foremost® or Progressive® logos) on any GFB specific materials. However, the carriers can provide the county with small signage and brochures to be used a presented in the agency office.  

Georgia Law

All advertising must conform to the rules and regulations of Chapters 120-2-11 and 120-2-12 of the Georgia Code (Insurance Regulations) dealing with advertising. Insurance advertising in Georgia is regulated by the state Insurance Commissioner. 

Farm Bureau Bank (FBB)

The co-op program, will also co-op your bank ads at 50%. However, since the bank is regulated by FDIC and has different rules than insurance GFB agents must always use approved advertising provided by the Farm Bureau Bank or GFB Member Services when advertising Bank products.  The pre-approved ads can be found on the FBB referral portal.

• FB Insurance and FB Bank product advertising can NEVER be mixed in the field. Only pre-approved joint product advertising from FBB or GFB Member Services can be used.
• GFBMIC and Advertising /Public Relations in Macon cannot approve any ad that mentions insurance with advertisements or promotions for Bank products.
• Please note: use of the generic term “Bank” when used (for example) in “Auto, Home, Life, Bank” does not require prior approval. You could also say “we offer Financial Services”, and it would not require submission to FBB.
• FB Bank’s marketing rules are: “To meet all bank regulatory requirements, all advertising, newspaper articles or announcements not originating with the Farm Bureau Bank must be submitted to the Bank for approval. The entire process is set to take no longer than 5 business days, as your material must be sent to Farm Bureau Bank Marketing compliance, which examines it for accuracy in bank branding, content and compliancy.”

Contact Michael Fulwood in the Member Services Dept. at ext. 3347 or at mwfulwood@gfb.org if you wish to run any “Other” or signage ad that mentions FB Bank in any way.

Co-Op Categories

On the Expense Form, the Agency Manager will need to denote what type of advertising was used and will need to submit the appropriate supporting documents. Agents can find advertising resources on the Advertising Tool Kit. Media partners can find logos, branding guidelines and everything they need in the Media Vendor Toolkit.

Print/Digital Advertising

Print advertising includes designed ads for newspapers, magazines, programs and other publications. Digital advertising includes digital banners on digital media (including billboards). To be approved for coop reimbursement, all print and digital advertising must be approved by the Marketing Department in advance of being printed.  Samples of pre-approved ads can be found in the Advertising Toolkit. You can request a customized print ad here.

Signage 

Logos in programs, on banners, on maps, etc., MUST be taken from the online toolkit to qualify for co-op. Incorrect usage of the logo will not be approved in 2020. Information for submitting a reimbursement request for signage can be found here. Contact the Marketing Department if you have questions about the correct logo.

Radio & TV/Video

The advertising tool kit will contain all advertising materials for radio and TV/Video. Pre-approved ads can be found in the Advertising Toolkit. Contact the GFB Marketing Department for assistance with a radio or video ad. Information for submitting a reimbursement request for Radio/TV advertising can be found here.

Promotional Items

The Promotional Items category covers branded promotional giveaways items such as pens, t-shirts, and cups. Promotional Items MUST be pre-approved prior to ordering, unless purchased through one of GFBMIC's designated Preferred Vendors. Preferred Vendors work closely with Home Office to ensure all items are consistent with the Branding Guidelines. 

• Promotional Items may not be approved if the items are not in accord with required compliance, copyrights and logos.
• Promotional items purchased with the incorrect logo will not be reimbursed.
• It is the Agency Managers & agent's responsibility to ensure they are using the correct logo and have been approved when necessary. 

Contact the Marketing Department if you are planning to order Promotional Items from an outside vendor so the logo usage can be approved.

Information for submitting a reimbursement request for promotional items can be found here.

GFBMIC encourages agents to use one of the Preferred Vendors: Corporate Connections, Apparell Authority, National Bank Products and Strategic Promotions. Strategic Promotions offers an online store for agents. Everything included in the online store is approved for co-op use and can be ordered by the agency without prior submission. Promotional Items ordered through other vendors MUST be approved by the Info/PR Department prior to purchase.  Items over $200/unit must be approved before purchase by the District Sales Manager.

Co-Op Levels and Rates

Agencies may qualify for 50% co-op reimbursement for qualified, approved advertising on any radio station, TV station, cable TV system, newspaper, real estate magazine, “newcomer” print package, TV listing guide, menu ad, map ad or similar type community advertising and on certain approved signs. 

75% LEVEL

Some vendors have been given preferred reimbursement rates due to a partnership with GFBMIC. Certain items with these partners can be reimbursed at the 75% rate.

Radio

Agencies may qualify for 75% co-op for advertising on radio stations broadcasting the required minimum daily number of “Georgia Farm Radio Network” (GFRN) programs. The station must have a signed contract with the Network in order for the agent to qualify at the 75% level. 

• See a current list of approved radio stations
• Ads do not have to air within Farm Bureau programs to qualify.
• Agents are responsible for verifying that the station (or a co-located station of the same ownership in the same market cluster) is airing our GFB radio network programs and indicating on the co-op paperwork that they qualify for 75% reimbursement on submissions. Example: WXYZ-AM runs the GFRN programs, agent can receive 75% co-op for ads placed on co-located WXYZ-FM.
• To download GFBMIC’s pre-recorded radio commercials for radio station use, click here.

Television 

Advertising through television stations that carry the “Georgia Farm Monitor” TV show also qualifies for 75%. Click here for a "Georgia Farm Monitor" station list.

• Television ads, digital ads and other multimedia sponsorships offered through through the broadcast station (such as sponsoring a Friday Night football program) are eligible.
• Ads do not have to air within the Georgia Farm Monitor program to qualify.
• Agents are responsible for verifying that the station is airing our television program each week and indicating on the co-op paperwork that they qualify for 75% reimbursement on submissions. The INVOICE must be from the Georgia Farm Monitor broadcast TV station to qualify.
• Billing from a cable company which only carries one of our broadcast stations as part of its service does not qualify.

Logos and Files