In his editorial for the Jul/Aug edition of Drilling Contractor, IADC President Jason McFarland reflects on the Association’s industry messaging campaign and issues a direct invitation for Members to move from words to action.
Jason opens with a statement of pride in the industry and in IADC’s role supporting it, then turns to the messaging campaign as a case study in the Association’s “by our Members, for our Members” philosophy. He emphasizes that the campaign wasn’t handed down from IADC staff—it was initiated and shaped throughout by a Member workgroup collaborating closely with a professional ad agency, through months of meetings, feedback, and creative development.
With the first phase of creative work complete, Jason frames the real challenge as distribution, not creation. He invokes a Simon Sinek quote—that words inspire but only action creates change—to argue that the industry now has the right message; now Members need to put this messaging to use. He notes that IADC’s own channels mostly reach people already inside the industry, so breaking out of that echo chamber depends on Members sharing the materials themselves.
Jason grounds this ask in a simple insight: people trust people more than they trust institutions, which is why individual Members sharing the campaign’s message will carry more weight than IADC promoting it alone. He points out that most industry professionals have, at some point, had to defend the industry to someone—and reframes the campaign as a chance to go on offense instead, proactively showing people the truths of our industry and what it actually does.
The call to action is direct and personal: visit the online portal, download the assets, and use them in whatever way resonates. He notes the campaign is ongoing, with more assets coming, and invites feedback on what’s landing and what Members want to see next.
Jason closes by expressing pride in the industry’s willingness to finally tell its own story, framing this moment as a shift away from passiveness and reactivity toward active advocacy on the industry’s behalf.
