The National Dairy Council, the Irish farmer-funded marketing organisation working on behalf of Ireland’s 17,000 family-run dairy farms, briefed 4TC on its goal of bringing the consumer closer to the farmer.

While as many as 71% of people trust farmers to care for the environment, they don’t know what Ireland’s dairy industry is doing to reduce its carbon footprint and they don’t understand the threats and challenges it faces.

The task was to establish a voice for the NDC in the ‘contested space’ – that’s the earned media space, where your presence is dependent on the story you have to tell and your ability to make it interesting and relevant.

4TC recommended upping the issues content of the NDC’s communication, focusing on the nutritional, social, economic and environmental initiatives which make Irish dairy farming sustainable.

Ongoing activity – including consumer research, messaging and positioning, media relations and executive media training – positions the NDC as an industry voice with something to say and a willingness to lead the conversation.