FROM THE GROUND UP
Fortifying consumer trust in Irish Dairy Farming
The National Dairy Council (NDC) has unveiled a new marketing campaign bringing the story of Irish Dairy Farming to the consumer. As consumer trust in food origin and production methods becomes more crucial, NDC is moving back to the foundations of why Irish dairy produce is some of the best in the world.
The widening gap between parlour and plate has resulted in a loss of consumer connection to the land. NDC’s new campaign ‘From the Ground Up’ aims tell to tell the story of Ireland’s dairy production system and the modern farming practices that protect the land and support a sustainable farming system for future generations.
Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of the NDC, says: “Our focus now needs to shift to the production system – this is where the knowledge gap is today. In 2020, we took the opportunity to capture the ‘Voice of the Farmer’, in addition to our regular consumer sentiment research.
“We learned that growing consumer concern with the environment and climate change combined with extensive media reporting of emissions targets is putting increasing pressure on our dairy farmers. More than ever, we need to get back to the building blocks of production and tell that story to the consumer through the voice of the farmer.”
While Irish Dairy’s nutritional and taste credentials is held in high regard, we need to build trust in our production system. Leveraging our consumer insights and our learnings from our previous consumer-facing product campaigns, we will now tell the stories of Irish Dairy farmers, ensuring that they have the support of the nation, the ‘social licence’ to produce this globally renowned product in a sustainable manner here in Ireland. Ireland was made for dairy production – our climate lends itself perfectly – and our ability to produce dairy sustainably here is second to none. We want to ensure that everybody knows this.
The NDC TV ad will be going out on all major TV stations and prime time slots for Irish viewers and on Radio, Digital & Print. We have also created a series of billboard executions which will appear in the summer months in line with easing of restrictions and more movement around the country.
From the Ground Up provides us with a visual representation of the people, the animals and the land which together deliver unrivalled quality milk & dairy products to consumers at home & abroad. This is a truly authentic representation of Irish dairy’s hardworking, efficient production system and high-quality product portfolio.
Speaking about the campaign direction, Zoe commented: “This is an important time to celebrate excellence in dairy farming. Irish dairy has one of the lowest carbon footprints internationally, primarily due to the unique grass fed, family based Irish farming system which is extremely efficient and involves less intensive farming.
“During challenging times people need to have trust in what they know. Irish dairy is recognised as a vital part of people’s diet and general health across the life stages, indispensable to Ireland’s social and economic wellbeing now more than ever!”
While the positive credentials of Irish dairy are longstanding and plentiful, the gap between food origin and consumer is growing. At the same time, consumers are demanding natural sustainably produced food – transparency, authenticity, taking responsibility for your health and your environmental impact.
The National Dairy Council recognises the opportunity to reconnect consumers with natural food production and showcase that in Ireland our unique grass-based system coupled with our family farming system is what really sets Ireland apart.