Most folks watching TV will have seen a commercial paid for by producer checkoff dollars extolling the virtues of their particular food commodity. The big players are the supply-managed (SM) groups, the dairy, eggs, and chicken boards, presumably because they have the big bucks needed to use that type of expensive media. Their promotion approach is national in scope, market-targeted, and sensitive to urban perceptions, most recently, climate change awareness. With many decades of advertising experience, SM promotions are sophisticated, timely and on message. I suspect they employ folks to monitor the impact of their promotion efforts.
The dairy producers, with millions available for advertising, are prodigious users of TV ads. Most focus on happy cows and happy farmers in happy family farm situations. The dairy ads seem to always feature squeaky-clean photogenic cows in spic and span, well-kept facilities or sunny green pastures, with not a smidgeon of cow dung in sight. Dairy farmers and their family members are equally well-scrubbed, handsome, well-rehearsed and media-trained. There is no doubt that dairy farmers who pay for these ads can relate to and imagine themselves in these positive family farmer images. That’s critical to producer approval of the program.
Sometimes, the milk ads refer to Canadian farmers providing a safe and secure milk supply. Okay, but that supply is governed by federal and provincial health regulations like pasteurization standards. That’s similar to what exists in other western countries from which Canada imports dairy products. The dairy industry also benefits from considerable private-label advertising from big corporate cheese and yogurt processors. It’s all designed to maintain, if not increase, milk consumption.
Interestingly, consumption levels are greatly aided by east asian immigrants who, being mainly vegetarian, consume milk products as their primary source of protein. Perhaps the dairy advertising brain trust considers them a captive market as there appear to be few TV commercials directed at the type of dairy products consumed by that rather numerous ethnic group.
Recent TV ads focus on climate change awareness and industry initiatives towards a net zero carbon footprint. They feature concerned-looking dairy farmers pronouncing that they are playing their part in saving the planet. It’s interesting to know – but I am not so sure most consumers care. They might care more but in a different way if those initiatives cause the price of milk to increase. Producing milk from the farm to the store is a carbon-intensive enterprise in a cold, big country. Perhaps there is a presumption that all transportation, feeding, milking, etc., will be powered by renewable energy. Well, good luck with that, as every other sector is chasing that dream.
Having said that, it would seem that dairy advertising deep thinkers are convinced that by focusing on politically correct trendy issues it will stem the stampede of millions of progressive-type city consumers from abandoning real milk in favour of the delights of fake organic free-range oat milk – okay, I jest. One only has to taste (I don’t recommend it) plant-based fake cheese and fake butter, and you will probably never do so again. But to be fair, consumers are fickle and naïve and seemingly will choke down fake dairy products if they are cheaper, if nothing else. But I digress.
One advantage the dairy milk promotion machine has over meat producer advertising groups is that they do not have to spend a penny on developing new offshore or US markets for Canadian dairy products. Because they are a supply-managed quota board, they are restricted from certain offshore trade activities. Fluid milk does not cross borders. I suspect it’s for health, political or trade barrier reasons. Dairy products like artisanal cheeses, yogurts, milk powder, and fractionalized milk components are exported but not freely to all offshore markets – it’s all complicated. However, what it does do is allow millions to be spent on promoting Canadian milk to Canadian consumers.
Like all ag commodity generic-type promotions, its difficult to prove that they are effective in expanding consumption. In the case of milk promotion, I expect that an increasing national population and high immigration numbers of milk-consuming ethnic groups are why milk consumption in Canada is increasing. I suspect ad agency spin doctors know that but prefer to attribute it all to their clever marketing programs. I guess as long as milk producers back on the farm believe that perspective – it’s all okay. Next time – meat groups have a significant disadvantage.
Will Verboven is an ag opinion writer.
