AHDB’s We Eat Balanced TV advert has reportedly resonated with the historically harder to reach young adult demographic.
The advertising campaign, which is in its second year, played out on TV screens, social media and in print, and was seen by nearly 24 million UK households – delivering messages around health, sustainability and Britain’s world-class food and farming standards.
The campaign focused on three key messages – red meat and dairy as a source of Vitamin B12, Britain’s world-class production standards, and that red meat and dairy from Britain is among the most sustainable in the world.
The TV advert, which featured nine-year-old Nancy and her grandfather, reportedly proved popular with young adults, with 65 per cent of stating they liked the commercial, and 82 per cent saying the found it interesting.
Two different age groups also said the likelihood of them buying meat or dairy had risen after being exposed to the £3.5 million campaign – which ran throughout January and February.
Purchase intent for meat when they next go shopping rose among the 34 to 49 age group rose five percentage points to 77 per cent after seeing AHDB’s campaign, while dairy saw a six-percentage point increase to 84 per cent among the 16 to 34-year-olds.
“The campaign has played an important part in helping counteract the sensationalist headlines by helping to position the positive role that red meat and dairy from Britain can play as part of a healthy and sustainable diet,” said AHDB director of marketing Liam Byrne.
Following the campaign, consumer perceptions that meat and dairy from Britain is produced sustainably rose five and eight percentage points to 41 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. It also drove uplifts in attitudes around health, with the number of consumers seeing meat and dairy as a source of vitamin B12 rising five and four percentage points to 30 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.
“It’s also great to see how well the campaign has landed with young people, who are typically very engaged in issues of ethics, health and the environment,” Mr Byrne continued.
“Most of us want to do the right thing, by making small positive changes to improve our health and the health of the planet. By understanding that when you choose red meat and dairy from Britain you are choosing products with some of the lowest carbon footprints and highest welfare standards in the world, is something we can all do, easily.”
The campaign, which was aimed at people who were looking to reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consumed, also generated nearly 45 million impressions across social media and video-on-demand.