There’s little doubt Australian dairy farmers are feeling a little demoralised and that’s not good for business. The first symptom displayed by farmers lacking confidence is a stubborn refusal to open their cheque books.
And here we are, hunkered down in survival mode, deaf to our leaders’ calls to invest and grow so that Australia can realise its dream of becoming a vital piece of the Asian food bowl.
With all this in mind, then, take a look at the “farmer-side” launch of the new Dairy Australia campaign, Legendairy.
Ad agency, CumminsRoss is to be congratulated for the stirring execution.
In a media release, DA project leader Isabel MacNeill, says Legendairy is “not just a branding exercise” but a singular rallying point that will help develop pride among dairy people, and increase community appreciation for the industry and demand for its products.
The Legendairy platform will be translated into an initial three-year integrated marketing and communication plan focusing on three core audiences:
• Farmers and farm communities
• Consumers, especially parents of young children
• Societal shapers such as policy makers, authorities and health professionals.
According to MacNeill, it’s all about the dairy community telling its own stories about what makes us legendary.
After sleeping on it, I’m guessing Legendairy will polarise farmers. One camp will say, “Yeah, it’s great to get a pat on the back” and the other camp will say “Don’t spend my levy on expensive ads telling me how great I should feel while I’m struggling to pay the bills”.
I must admit I have a foot in each camp. When you’re going through a rough patch, the last thing you want is a pat on the head and this strays dangerously close to that. I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next.
EDIT: As I walked away from the computer after writing this post, one BIG thing occurred to me: What does DA want out of the farmer-side campaign and how will it be measured? Fewer exits from the industry, greater farmer investment? Lower depression rates among farmers? Sadly, no, I suspect not because no mere communications strategy could realistically hold such worthy objectives. Not now, in any case. Perhaps it would be better timed to build confidence when the tide has truly begun to turn.
The Milk Maid Marian 
Wow and there is even an image in there that looks surprisingly like Clover Hill Very surprised DA has taken this route as they refused to get involved in a joint collaborative industry effort to do something very similiar NFF was willing to coordinate. It’s nice but I am not feeling the love
LikeLike
Thank you for taking the time to write about Legendairy. We are sure it will inspire great discussion over the coming months. There is no doubt that times are tough on farm – and this is paralleled by declining public confidence in our product and industry. The dairy industry has a wonderful story to tell about its products, its people and the way we produce dairy foods and there has never been a mor important time to tell it.
While dairy foods are consumed by 90% of Australians on any given day, most individuals are not consuming enough and our tracking shows that claimed consumption is declining. People demand to know not only what the product delivers, but where it’s from and how it’s been produced. Factors such as country of origin and whether the food is produced in an ethical and environmentally responsible way are also informing purchase decisions. This requires a holistic communications approach from grass to glass.
As an industry organization Dairy Australia has the opportunity to bring the Legendairy story of our producers, people and processes to life, but we can’t do it alone. By working closely with farmers and their communities we hope to tell the Legendairy story together at both the local community level and at the mass national level.
To date our discussions with both farmers and those that work closley with our industry have been inspiring and there is a lot of motivation to ensure that more people hear the stories of our industry. We look forward to helping facilitate this.
LikeLike
Thanks Isabel. So, you’re saying that the farmer side of the campaign is designed to encourage farmers to tell our stories? How will you help farmers to do that successfully and do you have a way to measure your success?
LikeLike
Thanks for your response…on behalf of Isabel who is travelling at the moment, yes that’s right, as the natural spokespeople for the industry with magnificent stories to tell we’re looking for dairy champions to tell those stories and then we’ll be helping to promote them. We’ll be using our regional networks to really listen to dairy farmers and discuss and agree on how we can integrate and introduce Legendairy into each dairy region. Our consumer tracking of the understanding of dairy’s contribution as an industry and a product, and media tracking will help us measure Legendairy’s success. Hearing the Legendairy story repeated back from dairy people with renewed pride and confidence will also be key to tracking success. Hope this helps. Watch this space!
LikeLike
Thanks very much, Suzi.
LikeLike
Pingback: Dont tell me to wake the frack up | Clover Hill Dairies Diary
Tamar valley yoghurt producer in financial trouble after dealing with Coles creates concern over mg milk deal
LikeLike
Did you see this story in The Weekly Times, Ian? http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/04/25/568003_business-news.html
LikeLike
Pingback: Devondale’s new TV ads spread the love, but who to? | The Milk Maid Marian