Dairy farmers go "organic" in new marketing strategy
Swiss dairy farmers are going on the offensive with a new marketing strategy, placing animal welfare and a connection to nature at the center of their advertising.
In future, the aim is to convey the image of healthy and happy cows that feed on natural fodder and have enough space to roam. The board of the milk industry organization, which includes not only farmers but also processors and wholesalers, is adopting a new advertising strategy this week called the "added value strategy", as reported by the Handelszeitung.
Meanwhile, critics are already calling for the promises to be followed by action. "If there are no real adjustments in milk production, the new added value strategy is nothing more than a marketing gimmick," says Andreas Bosshard from Vision Landwirtschaft. Criticism also comes from within our own ranks: "The best advertising spots are useless if we don't live our values credibly," says Christof Baumgartner from the Thurgau milk producers. In fact, new figures show that cows have never been fed as much concentrated feed as they are today. Much of it comes from abroad.
