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Spot and Blue Honey, a couple of Blue Heelers from Kiama, New South Wales, feature in a 30-second television commercial for Dairy Farmers white milk – part of a campaign that has recently been judged the best dairy marketing campaign in the world by an international panel of experts.
The announcement was made days ago in Shanghai at the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit and comes six months after Dairy Farmers clinched the title of Australia’s most trusted locally-owned food brand in a national Reader’s Digest survey.
The star turn by Spot and Blue could be the start of something big for the pair – a couple of farm dogs who, until now, have lived a pretty low-key existence with Anne Honey and husband Mark, a fifth-generation dairy farmer whose 80-hectare property has been in the family since 1839.
This Sunday night, the dogs – and the Honey farm – will be in the spotlight again, when the campaign’s second set of commercials is launched on Australian television.
For Mr and Mrs Honey, long-time suppliers and shareholders of the company, the Dairy Farmers campaign and the international recognition is a welcome distraction from the drought.
“We’re all worried about what impact the drought is going to have on the future,” Mrs Honey said.
“Because we’ve had no recent rain, the grass has stopped growing. On top of that, the price of feed has just about doubled in the past month. In that sense, winning the award and filming the new commercial has been a nice distraction for us.”
To be part of filming was absolutely amazing, according to Mrs Honey.
“Just to talk to people who work in a completely different world to ours and to see the beauty of our property through their eyes was pretty special. Now, to hear about this award is incredibly exciting. I just can’t believe it! It’s great news for our family – including Spot and Blue!”
Dairy Farmers’ decision to feature its real-life suppliers was motivated by the stoicism and resilience of farmers like the Honeys, who have endured five years of what has been deemed the worst drought in recorded history.
“Dairy Farmers is one of the few remaining food companies in Australia that is 100 per cent owned by farmers. And what better way to remind people that they can do their bit for rural Australia than by featuring our farmers’ families – dogs included – in our television commercials?” said Dairy Farmers Chief Executive Rob Gordon.
As well as the Honey family, other Dairy Farmers suppliers are featured on the packaging of the company’s milk bottles and cartons. The commercial featuring Spot and Blue will go to air this Sunday, 5 November 2006.
