New NDC campaign to connect with consumers

THE National Dairy Council (NDC) have recently 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, the NDC are moving back to the foundations of why Irish dairy produce is some of the best in the world.

The NDC’s first campaign aims to highlight the importance of Irish dairy farmers to our everyday lives. It’s not something that many consumers spend a lot of time thinking about but every drop of milk, spoonful of yogurt or crumb of cheese has been lovingly guided on its way to your plate. From The Ground Up is a recognition of the connectedness inherent in a natural product: from the soil, to the pasture, to the herd and finally to the consumer.

That connectedness is something that Irish dairy farmers are justifiably proud of. The campaign calls into focus the rich heritage and tradition of those farmers, with print executions featuring real farmers and their families, linking the journey from farm to fork, with the television and radio strengthening and building on the story that connects us all through the best dairy produce the world has to offer. It’s a strong and confident approach to highlighting the importance of dairy in the country, an approach that echoes the attitude of Ireland’s dairy farmers.

Connecting the consumer to the land

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 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. Research carried out by NDC last April showed that 71% of Irish people believe that Ireland’s climate is suitable for dairy production and 77% believe outdoor grazing is more climate friendly.

“Our focus now needs to shift to the production system,” explains Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of the NDC. “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.”

From The Ground Up aims tell to 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.

Building trust in our production system

While Irish dairy’s nutritional and taste credentials is held in high regard, we need to build trust in our production system, according to the NDC. Leveraging their consumer insights and their learnings from previous consumer-facing product campaigns, the NDC 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,” explains Zoe.

The NDC’s new TV ad will be going out on all major TV stations at primetime slots for Irish viewers, while the heavyweight campaign will also feature on radio, digital and in print media. The NDC 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 a visual representation of the people, the animals and the land which together deliver unrivalled quality milk and dairy productsto consumers at home and abroad. This is a truly authentic representation of Irish dairy’s hardworking, efficient production system and high-quality product portfolio.

Celebrating excellence in dairy farming

“This is an important time to celebrate excellence in dairy farming,” Zoe reveals, speaking about the campaign direction. “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 well-being now more than ever!”

While the positive credentials of Irish dairy are longstanding and plentiful, the gap between food origin and the consumer is growing. At the same time, consumers are demanding natural sustainably produced food, and are looking for transparency, authenticity, and are very concerned about taking responsibility for their health and their environmental impact. The National Dairy Council recognises the opportunity to reconnect consumers with natural food production and showcase that our unique grass-based system, coupled with our family farming system, is what really sets Ireland apart.