Australian dairy promoters tout their 'Legendairy' industry

The campaign, which will include eight advertisements appearing across all media, as well as public relations and sponsorship activities, rolls out nationally on 4 August, but kicked off on Wednesday night with a TVC that aired during a football match featuring Melbourne Victory against Liverpool FC.

The first TVC (above) plays as a spoof of sports-drink advertisements. It features copious closeups of extremely sweaty faces in the throes of noble athletic exertion—until a last-second twist shows that instead of some neon-green concoction, the athlete is downing a bottle of 'Milkorade'. A just-launched campaign website offers further information about nature's own 'sports-recovery drink'. 

The campaign is part of a three-year strategic plan to give the industry a boost, according to Isabel MacNeill, Dairy Australia's group manager for industry promotion and product innovation. "We want to tell the story of Australia's dairy industry, and it doesn't stop at just milk," she said. "In the face of recent tough times, Australia's dairy farmers have continued to grow and care for their A$4 billion [US$3.07 billion] dairy industry.”

The campaign will spotlight stories of "innovation, provenance and personal triumph" and connect the farming community with its consumers, she added.

Moreover, the advertising should have a direct impact on sales and consumption, the group pointed out, citing a campaign in the UK "successfully halted the decline of milk sales by 82 million litres within just 18 months".

Percolate/ Xpotential Australia was responsible for creating the brand vision, strategy and communications brief, while Melbourne-based CumminsRoss is handling strategy, creative, media planning and production. Porter Novelli is the PR agency.