1 June 2021 marks World Milk Day. An annual global awareness day showcasing the nutritional benefits of milk and other dairy products. Since it’s launch in 2001, the campaign has gone from strength to strength.
Impressive Reach and Positive Sentiment
World Milk Day 2020 achieved 842 million global impressions across social media, including #EnjoyDairy in 40 translations and local hashtags. This was an increase from 664 million in 2019.
Positive sentiment rose to 64% vs. 60% in 2019, while negative posts decreased to just 2% vs. 4% the previous year. The global dairy sector kept the conversation upbeat, with more than 62,000 posts featuring #WorldMilkDay from May 1 – June 21 last year. I have no doubt 2021 will follow suit. As a marketer, you might say ‘great results’. However, I have one question – why are these agri-food awareness days transfixed on the product on the plate/in the glass, rather than on the producer – the cow?
I spent my industry placement year at Harper Adams University working on a large-scale dairy unit. Now, I oversee a portfolio of dairy clients at Pinstone, so I have a vested interested. Recently, I have found myself asking, why isn’t there more focus on the cow, the farmer, their team and ultimately how the milk is produced? Is it not what the consumer wants to see?
Farm to Fork Awareness
In the farming world, there is an emphasis on raising the profile of the industry through ‘farm to fork’. But these public-facing awareness days appear to be doing the reverse – putting the product and the plate in the spotlight. How it gets there, is secondary.
The ‘face’ of world milk day is the glass of milk, rather than promoting the cow that it comes from. In March, GBBW promoted great tasting beef in another highly successful awareness campaign. But again, why isn’t it called ‘Great British Cow Week’? Although less snappy, does calling it ‘Great British Beef Week’ to engage the public with British beef production actually distance the consumer from the ‘producer’ in all senses – farmer and cow?
It feels like the consensus is, if the face of a food campaign was the ‘producer’, then consumers would become disengaged, and a campaign may experience negative backlash. It means the public wants to enjoy meat and milk, with their great nutritional values, but doesn’t really want to think too much about the process leading up to dinner time?
Shifting Public Perception
However, there does appear to be a change among the public. Understanding and knowing how and where your food comes from is increasing in importance alongside price.
A ComRes survey the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, highlighted that consumers highly value the work British farmers do to provide high quality food, produced to the highest of standards.
In recent weeks, trade deal negotiations with Australia have hit mainstream media. The public is starting to see that British farming standards are among the highest in the world. If the UK imports lower standard produce, this would impact the quality on our supermarket shelves. This sentiment was echoed in the BGAJ survey, with 84% agreeing that the Government should ensure all imported food meets the same environmental and animal welfare standards as food produced in the UK.
So, going forward, can the British farming sector be braver with our consumer-facing marketing? Let’s put a true face to these campaigns. Show off and be proud how milk gets in the glass, and the hard work that goes into your Friday night steak. Celebrate the farmers, advisers and the animals that make this happen.
