The Udder Truth Campaign, which seeks to debunk common myths about dairy farming practices, has reached one million views of its three initial videos.
That has resulted in some 35 million consumer impressions, reported Dairy Management, Inc.
The campaign was launched to counter consumer concerns about how dairy farmers treat their animals.
“Thirty-five percent of the millennial generation now believes dairy farmers abuse their animals and that more than 50% of farms have a problem with animal care,” says David Pelzer, senior VP of strategic communications for Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI).
The problem is that most millennials get their news from the internet and social media, and simply don’t watch or believe network TV or read their local newspaper. Even worse, animal abuse videos never die on the internet.
Consequently, DMI has produced three myth busting videos that have dairy farmers talk about cow care, antibiotic use and large farms. They’ll address myths such as milking machines that are left on cows all day long or it’s cruel to separate baby calves from their dams after birth.
DMI is also teaming up via paid content with The Onion, which is a digital media company based entirely on satire. The Onion bloggers use satire to depict the absurdity of common dairy myths, such as milk machines being left on cows 24/7. The Onion’s sister site has also create a “listicles” which also will include absurd dairy myths.
Some on-line pundits and critics have pushed back against the campaign, and have taken The Onion to task for blurring the lines between pure satire and paid content.
But with more than 35 million consumer impressions, it’s clear The Udder Truth is reaching on-screen eyeballs. The next test will be to determine if it is changing minds.
Source – Dairy Today