One of the key questions the dairy sector needs to ask is how well it understands modern millennials (young adults) and tomorrow’s mums. It’s a question Zoe Kavanagh, chief executive of the National Dairy Council (NDC) aims to answer with a new dairy campaign specifically aimed at this generation.

Earlier this year, the NDC carried out countrywide research on people’s attitudes towards dairy. The results proved really positive, with high levels of consumer trust in the product and those who produce it. It was only when the survey results were closely examined that a clear shift in the opinions of the younger female audience emerged. The shift was less pronounced among millennial males, and NDC chief executive Zoe Kavanagh puts this down to the work that’s been done to promote milk as a natural sports drink.

“The guys have got the message through sports. When it came to the young women, yes they were still positive but nothing like as positive as other age groups. So we asked ourselves what’s going on here. The best way to find out was to bring them in, talk to them and figure out how well do we understand the young women who will be tomorrow’s mums?

“If we are not relevant to these young women in their mid-20s, we can’t presume they will come flocking back to the dairy aisle when they become mums.”

There are two reasons for this, according to Zoe. Firstly, many young adults are living at home for much longer. And while you might think this should keep dairy in front of them, they are travelling more, they eat out a lot more than their parents did and where they spend most of their time is where dairy is at its weakest.

“Dairy has traditionally been promoted around the kitchen table. It is a family product, particularly around breakfast. It’s nurturing, it’s in the home. However, the reality is that these young women are spending more and more time out of the home and in places where dairy is weakest. So it’s no wonder that when they go into coffee shops and see the alternative liquids that can go into their coffee, it’s tempting to try them.”

No campaign for 10-15 years

This is a challenge for dairy, according to Zoe, as young women are trying these alternative liquids without hearing any messages about the goodness of dairy.

“We turn the volume off. We are not saying anything to them when they are out of home or on their social media channels. In the meantime, all their food and diet groups and other influencers are speaking to them about everything except dairy.

“If we are really honest with ourselves, we haven’t actually marketed dairy to this group for 10 to 15 years. This is a generation who get their information from Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and their friends. If dairy doesn’t have a presence across these outlets, then it doesn’t exist for them.”

So the challenge for Zoe Kavanagh and the NDC is to reach this generation and make dairy relevant to them. She believes there is a huge opportunity to win their hearts and minds because when you speak to them via a forum they listen to, it doesn’t take long to remind them we are a dairy producing nation.

“It starts with grass. It’s completely natural and the combined effect of dairy products is so good for you. When you start comparing the alternatives nutritionally, they are incomparable.”

Stark warning

Having completed the research, Zoe believes there is an urgent need to get proactive with these younger audiences.

“We must position dairy messages in the places where they get their information. If we don’t, we are sleep-walking into what I think is a repeat of what margarine did to butter. I think alternative liquids could do the same to milk.”

She says we need to have the conversation, need to point out all the goodness, point out there are solutions for anyone concerned about their weight.

“We need to re-educate and reassure the younger audience of the goodness of milk because if we don’t invest in them now, in five to 10 years’ time when they become young mothers they won’t naturally fall back into the traditional habit of having dairy in their own homes.”

The Complete Natural

The ‘Complete Natural’ is the new NDC campaign targeting these young adults, especially young women. It will comprise a major print and online advertising programme, including an extensive social media campaign.

To celebrate the launch, the NDC will be opening the Complete Natural pop-up café on South William Street in Dublin this weekend. The café will be offering gourmet coffee, smoothies, healthy milkshakes and lots more.

Changing attitudes across Europe

Having completed the research, the NDC could have rested on its laurels and accepted that dairy was in 99% of Irish households and that there was a positive attitude towards it. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and butter are all in growth, so you might ask where the problem is. However, Ireland is the most positively positioned market in terms of attitude towards dairy. Denmark, France and Norway are all seeing a slump in consumption and are facing a real backlash towards dairy. We are not in that place and we never want to go there. CL