The National Dairy Council Strategy 2013-2015
NDC Vision To give consumers compelling reasons to stock their fridges with a range of quality fresh Irish dairy products to enjoy. NDC Mission To deliver real and unique value to Irish dairy farmers by protecting and promoting the image, quality, taste and nutritional credentials of Irish dairy produce to a wide variety of audiences in a clearly defined, focussed, unique and effective manner.
Irish Dairy
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Consistent with and underpinning the mission of the organisation, the NDC aims to achieve the following by the end of 2015:
1. To work toward a dairy industry standing for quality, sustainability and excellence in dairy farming and therefore well-positioned to exploit the abolition of milk quotas. 2. To ensure a strong robust NDC Guarantee mark clearly differentiating Republic of Ireland milk and cream for consumers and retailers. 3. To deliver strategically sound and excellently executed marketing and promotion plans for dairy produce. 4. To successfully protect and enhance the reputation of the dairy industry. 5. To build clear and unambiguous consumer cut-through on the nutrition and health benefits of the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. 6. To maintain expert status on developments in dairy nutrition and to maintain recognition as an industry lynchpin. 7. To deliver value for money on all activities.
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About The National Dairy Council The National Dairy Council was founded in 1964 with the key objective of supporting growth in consumption of dairy products in Ireland. It is a non-profit making organisation funded by a voluntary dairy farmer levy.
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A New Era for the Irish Dairy Sector Chairman’s Foreword
By 2015, at the end of the three-year timeframe of our Strategic Plan 2013–2015, a new era for dairy farming in Ireland will have begun. Milk quotas will be abolished in 2015. The work of Food Harvest 2020 will be bearing fruit. The Irish dairy sector is now poised for positive change. With an ever-growing and enviable reputation for the sustainability of our pastureland system of farming, our quality assurance systems and the nutritious nature of many dairy products, the sector is set to grow and prosper. Building on these strengths, we can carve out a unique position for the Irish dairy sector. It means we have a compelling story to tell consumers at home and abroad about our quality dairy produce and the role of such foods in a healthy balanced diet. Through the implementation of the ambitious Strategic Plan the NDC will play its part in communicating that story to our key audiences. Through our renewal and revitalisation over the past number of years, the NDC is well-placed to undertake this task. The Strategic Plan has been carefully considered to deliver very clear objectives in key priority areas: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Irish Dairy Excellence Industry Reputation Dairy Nutrition and Scientific Expertise Dairy Education for Schools
We are confident that this Strategic Plan will further enhance the Irish Dairy Industry’s reputation for excellence from farm to plate and strengthen the trust that consumers have placed in all the dairy products they use.
Jackie Cahill Chairman
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Irish Dairy – Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature Chief Executive’s Introduction
Our natural, pasture-based dairy farming is at the core of what is unique about Irish dairy. Family-run farms in communities all over the country produce quality-assured milk, generation after generation. Irish dairy farming is sustainable by nature and our dairy products are nutritious by nature.
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These core attributes – nutrition, sustainability, quality assurance – are rightly a source of pride to the farmers and food processors involved in the industry. They are the source of the trust and confidence that consumers place in our dairy products. Ensuring that these core attributes are understood and valued by all our stakeholders is a key objective of this Plan. They will underpin our activities and our communications to our key audiences over the lifetime of our Strategic Plan and beyond. Collectively, they provide the basis to convey what is unique about our dairy products and a way to engage the hearts and minds of Irish consumers. The National Dairy Council (NDC) is well-placed to undertake this task. We are a trusted and authoritative voice and a leader in the area of dairy nutrition. Through dissemination of our sciencebased information on the nutritional values of dairy, we will continue to promote the positive benefits that dairy products play in a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. The well-planned and executed initiatives over the past number of years – including the Quality Milk Awards for producers, the development of relationships with retailers and the production of engaging advertising and promotion for many different consumer segments – means that there is firm foundation on which to build an even more compelling proposition for Irish dairy. The NDC will launch a new, high-profile Dairy Week in 2013. This is a week of sustained promotional activities highlighting many of the programmes targeted at various consumer segments and producers. There will be opportunities for producers, retailers and consumers to really engage with all things dairy. Over the coming three years, particular emphasis will be placed on promoting the benefits of cheese to our target audiences.
Four Priority Areas The Strategic Plan concentrates on four key priorities. Each area has its own clear objectives, a clear set of deliverables and indicators of success. 1. Irish Dairy Excellence — Promoting quality, sustainability and excellence of the dairy sector and dairy produce to a consumer audience, from farm to plate. 2. Industry Reputation — Protecting and enhancing the status and reputation of the Irish dairy category with key audiences/stakeholders. 3. Dairy Nutrition & Scientific Expertise — Maintaining and building our position as experts in dairy nutrition and at the forefront of science. 4. Dairy Education for Schools — Improving attitudes to and relevance of dairy produce for school-going children and young people. There is a clear process of monitoring progress over the lifetime of the Strategic Plan. Each priority area has clear objectives and clear indicators. The NDC will provide updates on progress on each area at regular intervals. This is an exciting time for the dairy sector, with real opportunities for growth and development on the horizon. Through this Strategic Plan, the NDC will play its part in ensuring that our members and stakeholder partners are supported to avail of those opportunities. With our entire ambitious three-year plan implemented, the NDC will be well-positioned to support further growth and development for the whole dairy sector, based as it is on our unique pasturelands that make Irish dairy sustainable by nature.
Zoë Kavanagh Chief Executive
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Strategic Priority No 1 Irish Dairy Excellence — Promoting quality, sustainability and excellence of the dairy sector and dairy produce to a consumer audience, from farm to plate.
Strategy 2013–2015
7 The Mark of Goodness from Farm to Plate Much of the work undertaken by the NDC has, to a greater or lesser extent, promoted the quality and excellence of Irish dairy produce. The difference as we head into this strategic plan is that we know there is real consumer appetite for buying Irish and buying local.
The NDC will work toward the above strategic objective by working on key initiatives in the following areas:
continue on generating awareness, coverage and relevance of the NDC Guarantee mark among key audiences.
Build a ‘Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature’ Communication Platform The NDC will build a ‘Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature’ communications platform to underpin our communications to consumers, to producers and processors, in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. This will highlight the unique proposition for the entire Irish dairy sector – the rich green pastures of Ireland, farmed in a sustainable manner in family-run farms is what enables us to produce such quality-assured, nutritious food. The ‘Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature’ communications platform will inform the tone and style of our communications, creating a distinctive voice for all our initiatives and programmes in words and images.
Nutritional Benefits of Cheese and Dairy as part of a Balanced Healthy Diet The NDC Nutrition Department has spent a significant amount of time and effort over the past number of years building and communicating the nutritional rationale as to why cheese should be exempt from the Nutrient Profiling Model proposed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
Further Strengthen the NDC Guarantee Mark on Milk and Cream The introduction of the NDC Guarantee mark on milk and cream has been one of the most successful initiatives undertaken to date. Now displayed on over 700 different packs, it enjoys high levels of awareness with consumers. However, the retail landscape has shifted since it was first introduced in 2009. Now consumers are bombarded with any number of confusing and competing marks of origin. In order to build further cut-through, work will
This work, along with consultation with Industry stakeholders, has informed our thinking on the NDC’s role in marketing and promotion of cheese over the next three years. Our role needs to be distinctive with regard to any marketing of individual brands that our members may undertake. A clear focus on the nutritional benefits of cheese as part of a balanced diet enables us to add real value to the overall category in a unique and specific way. Such work will be executed in line with relevant regulations. This plays to NDC’s strength of nutritional experience and expertise in all things dairy. Other key vehicles for promoting cheese, as well as other dairy products, are their taste credentials and overall versatility. These qualities will continue to be promoted through dairy cookery programmes. This has worked well in the past and continues to grow in popularity with consumer audiences.
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Use Quality Milk Awards to Showcase Irish Dairy Excellence In 2012 the NDC successfully collaborated with the Irish Dairy Board on this initiative. The NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards set out to identify and to reward the top dairy farmer in the Republic of Ireland. The awards help to build awareness about the dairy farmers in the Republic of Ireland who are behind our local dairy brands. They create the opportunity to showcase to consumers what makes our dairy products unique – the quality and sustainability of our dairy farming. The NDC partnered with TV3 to secure significant TV coverage of the finalists and it is planned to develop this partnership further and to use these awards as a vehicle to promote the quality, image, sustainability and excellence of dairy farming in Ireland.
Participate in the EU Initiative Milk, Nutritious by Nature The European Milk Forum’s (EMF) first multistakeholder campaign Milk, Nutritious by Nature will run at EU level but also in seven EU countries, including Ireland, until November 2014. This is designed to significantly raise awareness amongst European and national stakeholders about the importance of helping people choose natural, nutritious foods such as foods from the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Milk, Nutritious by Nature will see a roll-out of campaign messages and activities at a European level. The NDC, a founding member of the EMF, will also ensure that local activities relevant for Irish audiences are implemented at a national level. The campaign will include activities such as conferences, ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions and online resources.
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Promoting Dairy Excellence
Deliverables
Indicators
‘Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature’ Communications Platform
–– A positioning paper for all agencies and partners involved in creating communications for NDC initiatives setting out the tone and style for the platform
–– Number of times key words and imagery of the platform appear in promotional activities –– Use of key words in media commentary pertaining to the platform –– Benchmark to judge agency performance in communicating the platform in creative and relevant ways
Strengthen the NDC Guarantee mark
–– Media coverage –– Retailer initiatives –– Levels of consumer understanding of the NDC Guarantee mark
–– Number of positive/neutral articles –– Number of retailer initiatives –– % increase in SKUs carrying the NDC Guarantee mark –– Awareness among target audience of meaning of the NDC Guarantee mark
Nutritional Benefits of ‘Milk, Yogurt and Cheese’ Food Group
–– Marketing Activities –– Coverage in key media
–– Number of marketing activities –– Amount of coverage
Build Quality Milk Awards
–– Number of entries –– Number of processors involved –– Number of features in consumer media
–– % increase year on year –– Amount of coverage in consumer media
Milk, Nutritious by Nature (EU Programme)
–– Overall campaign messages tailored to Irish audience –– Participate in programme activities at national and EU level
–– Awareness of campaign –– Impact on attitudes toward milk and milk products among target groups –– Media coverage of campaign in Irish media –– Strengthening of relations with EMF partners
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Strategic Priority No 2 Industry Reputation — Protecting and enhancing the status and reputation of the Irish dairy category with key audiences/stakeholders.
Strategy 2013–2015
11 Building and Maintaining Industry Reputation One of the intrinsic images associated with Ireland is that of green pastures. Our primarily grass-fed dairy sector is renowned throughout the world for producing high quality products in a sustainable manner. It is vital to the future growth prospects of the sector that the image and reputation of dairy is protected and indeed enhanced. The National Dairy Council can continue to play a key role here.
Issues Management A robust and comprehensive Issues Management process has been in place in the NDC for some years, proactively managing risks and any potential negative impact on the dairy industry. The main focus is to ensure that the interests and concerns of the consumer are fully understood and addressed so that consumer confidence in dairy produce, for example in relation to associated health and nutritional benefits, is maintained. The Issues Management Committee works closely with other industry bodies such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), Teagasc and The Irish Dairy Board to bring all relevant expertise to bear on issues identified for the benefit of the wider industry. Consumer Relations Consumers are more connected, more informed and more demanding than ever before. Therefore the requirement to quickly, efficiently and accurately respond to consumer queries is paramount. Through numerous channels, the NDC acts as the first port of call for consumers – answering queries, dispelling myths and misconceptions and providing accurate information on the role of dairy in a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. The NDC website is regularly updated and is an information hub for consumers on all matters relating to the dairy category. In response to the rapid rise in social media the NDC set up a Facebook page under the Obey Your Body banner which now enjoys a following of 35,000. As well as providing the opportunity to showcase the category
and the work of the NDC, the Facebook page enables the NDC to engage directly with consumers on dairy in an informal environment and answer questions or clarify any misconceptions that may arise in relation to the category. The NDC is also active on Twitter with regular updates on the category. Over the next three years the NDC will build and refine its social media and consumer relations strategy in line with evolving technology and consumer trends. Champion the Dairy Category In all its activities and initiatives the National Dairy Council aims to strengthen the position and the image of Irish dairy with consumers, encouraging them to actively include dairy products as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Now more than ever there is consumer appetite to know more about food provenance. At the same time consumers feel increasingly disconnected from their source of food – the land. Gone are the days where most people were just one generation removed from a farm. For this and other reasons, buying local and buying Irish has become even more important to consumers as it provides more reassurance about the quality of the products they buy. There is now the opportunity to build on the positive consumer attitudes toward Irish dairy produce and to highlight the dairy sector even further through the development of a specially designated Dairy Week. This new initiative, with a host of promotional activities involving producers, processors, retailers
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In all its activities and initiatives the National Dairy Council aims to strengthen the position and the image of Irish dairy with consumers, encouraging them to actively include dairy products as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
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and consumers sustained over the course of a particular week, will provide further opportunities to communicate clear messages about quality and sustainability, to demonstrate the versatility of dairy and to convey the nutritional aspects of a wide range of dairy products. Align and Lead Industry The NDC’s role is primarily a consumer-facing one as the marketing and promotion vehicle for the dairy industry. As such it takes a lead role in enhancing the reputation of the industry to consumer audiences through its advertising campaigns, initiatives such as the NDC Milk It Awards, events at the National Ploughing Championships and partnerships such as the media deal with TV3. Where queries or problems
that have the potential to damage the industry arise, the NDC often leads and sometimes co-ordinates the response. The classification using a nutrient profiling model proposed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), of certain food, including cheese, as potentially ‘less healthy’ is a good example of the role that the NDC plays in resolving such issues: the NDC led the nutrition-related aspects of the debate while working in a co-ordinated way with other stakeholders to ensure a successful outcome for the industry. Thankfully there has not been a major crisis to affect the dairy industry in the recent past but should one arise, the NDC will provide a support role to key bodies such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), Teagasc and The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Industry Reputation
Deliverables
Indicators
Issues Management
–– Issues resolved in a positive/ neutral manner –– Reputation meetings/workshops with industry and consumers
–– Absence and, when appropriate, clarifications of negative coverage –– Number of meetings/workshops
Consumer Relations
–– Address consumer queries
–– Visits to website –– Visits to Facebook page –– % successful clarifications/ replies
Dairy Week
–– Hosting relevant events –– Coverage generated
–– Number of events over and above current events –– Awareness of dairy week
Align and Lead Industry
–– Feed into consultations as appropriate –– Regular liaison with stakeholders to align positions –– Attendance and engagement at key events
–– Number of relevant events/ meetings attended –– Number of positions developed and consultation inputs
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Our primarily grass-fed dairy sector is renowned throughout the world for producing high quality products in a sustainable manner.
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We will continue to promote the positive benefits that dairy products play in a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
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Strategic Priority No 3 Dairy Nutrition and Scientific Expertise — Maintaining and building our position as experts in dairy nutrition and at the forefront of science.
Strategy 2013–2015
17 Evidence-Based Nutrition to the Forefront Over the last number of years the NDC has been recognised as having expert status when it comes to dairy nutrition. The role of the Nutrition Department has grown beyond the traditional role of delivering talks and dispensing nutritional advice to encompass a more strategic role in shaping the industry environment at national and EU level. The NDC will continue to build a more strategic role, maintaining and strengthening alliances, facilitating industry discourse and contributing to the research agenda as appropriate.
Maintain and Strengthen Alliances The NDC is a member of a number of global and EU alliances including the International Dairy Federation, Global Dairy Platform and the Utrecht Group. As an active participant the NDC stays current with the latest scientific developments and inputs into various fora as appropriate to represent areas of specific interest to the Irish dairy industry. The NDC is a founding member of the European Milk Forum (EMF) which launched Milk, Nutritious By Nature, a pan-European, science-based, multistakeholder campaign on the contribution of natural nutritious foods – such as dairy – to a healthy, balanced diet. The campaign will run at EU level but also in seven EU countries, including Ireland, until November 2014. Industry and Stakeholder Communications In recent years, the NDC published and disseminated Dairy Nutrition Forum (DN Forum) three times a year, a paper overseen by Dr Catherine Logan, Nutrition Manager, summarising the recent scientific literature and developments on a specific health topic in relation to milk and milk products. There is the opportunity to provide a more regular interactive forum for academic research and industry interests to share and discuss latest developments pertinent to the sector. One of the priorities for the NDC over the next three
years will be to facilitate industry and stakeholder discourse and dissemination of relevant research on a national level. Engagement in Dairy Research Current understanding of consumer habits, attitudes and perceptions of dairy is limited. With a research grant awarded from the Dairy Research Trust Co-operative Society Ltd., the NDC commissioned specific dairy analysis of the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance’s (IUNA) National Adult Nutrition Survey as a starting point for improving overall understanding. The NDC will explore other research avenues in line with industry needs and the national research agenda. This will be achieved through consultation and partnership with the wider industry and stakeholders.
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One of the priorities for the NDC will be to facilitate industry and stakeholder discourse and dissemination of relevant research on a national level. Dairy Nutrition and Scientific Expertise
Deliverables
Indicators
Alliances
–– Membership of key alliances –– Nutritious by Nature programme and other EU projects
–– Number of meetings attended and engagement with relevant organisations –– % of targeted audiences reached
Industry and Stakeholder Communications
–– Seminars –– Workshops –– Publications/ Communications
–– Number of seminars/workshops –– % of stakeholder attendance –– Circulation of publications and other communications
Dairy Research
–– Relevant research projects
–– Number of projects
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Strategic Priority No 4 Dairy Education for Schools — Improving attitudes to and relevance of dairy produce for school-going children and young people.
Strategy 2013–2015
21 Reaching the School-Going Consumer It has never been more important to raise awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet and lifestyle to children and teenagers. The Department of Health recently published a revised Food Pyramid on which the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group occupies one shelf with the recommendation to consume three servings per day as part of a balanced diet. This recommendation increases to five servings per day for children/ teenagers aged 9–18 years due to the importance of calcium during this life-stage. IUNA reported that 37% of girls and 28% of boys aged 5–12 years have inadequate calcium intakes. Corresponding figures for teenagers (13–17 years) are 42% and 23%, respectively.
Primary Schools’ Dairy Education Programme The ultimate aim of any schools’ programme is to encourage children to consume dairy produce, in accordance with dietary recommendations, as part of a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle. In order to achieve this aim there are a number of steps that need to be undertaken: 1. Highlight to teachers that there is a real need to educate children on the nutritional role of the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group in children’s diets. 2. Teach children about dairy produce in a range of interactive, fun ways that gets them excited and talking about their projects at home. 3. Through the children, educate parents on the health and nutritional benefits of dairy products and the Food Pyramid recommendations for the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group. The NDC will build a complete dairy education programme for primary schools to encompass the above. The programme will start in 2013 and be developed further in 2014 and 2015.
The NDC, via the EU Subsidised School Milk Scheme, will continue to market the benefits of milk to primary school children, their teachers and parents. It will be run in tandem with the education programme proposed. Second Level Schools’ Programme The programme for Second Level Schools will concentrate on marketing the benefits of dairy as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle to 12–18 year olds. The NDC Milk It Awards has proved to be an effective vehicle to market to this age group and will continue to be developed and promoted. The format, whereby teams of up to six students are challenged to research, design and plan an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging their peers to meet their recommended daily intake from the ’milk, yogurt and cheese’ group, is popular with students and teachers alike. As with all NDC outputs, resources and communications developed for schools will be done so according to best practices and in line with relevant guidelines and regulations.
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The NDC will focus on dairy education in both primary and second level schools to raise the profile of dairy and communicate its nutritional importance to teachers, students and parents. Dairy Education for Schools
Deliverables
Indicators
Primary Schools’ Programme
–– Website –– Schools packs & teacher resources –– Attendance at teachers’ conferences
–– –– –– ––
Second Level Schools’ Programme
–– Website –– Schools Packs & resources
–– Number of schools participating in the NDC Milk It Awards competition –– Number of students involved
Number of schools participating Number of students involved Number of teachers reached Number of schools participating in EU Subsidised School Milk Scheme
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Conclusion NDC Strategy 2013–2015: Looking Forward, Looking Back
By the end of 2015, when the full plan will have been implemented, the NDC’s key stakeholders – members, producers, processors and consumers – and those who influence them, will: 1. Understand more fully what makes Irish dairy products second to none. Stakeholders will appreciate and value the fact that it is our pasture-based farming methods, combined with best practice in quality assurance systems which makes Irish dairy sustainable by nature. 2. Understand that the NDC is the trusted voice of the industry. Stakeholders will have confidence that information provided by the NDC is both trustworthy and up-to-date. 3. Understand that the NDC is the first port of call for advice and information on the nutritional aspects of dairy as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, with the NDC being invited to contribute to programmes and initiatives that involve improving the health and wellbeing of the nation. 4. Understand the importance of the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group in the diet of school-aged children. Stakeholders will actively encourage this group to enjoy dairy as part of a healthy diet.
Design: www.reddog.ie Photo on page 8 courtesy of the Irish Dairy Board This publication is printed on paper and board which is produced from pulp, sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Sustainable and Nutritious by Nature
The National Dairy Council Innovation House 3 Arkle Road Sandyford Industrial Estate Dublin 18 t +353 (0)1 290 2451 f +353 (0)1 290 2452 e info@ndc.ie www.ndc.ie