Customers respond to education about products

Hindmarsh Tiers dairyfarmer Mandy Pacitti said the Do Dairy campaign showed that consumers were willing to change their shopping habits if they were shown it could directly benefit, and help sustain, a healthy local industry.

The Do Dairy campaign received $50,000 from the state government in 2016-17, while it coincided with a national push to buy branded dairy in reaction to the Murray Goulburn and Fonterra price clawback.

It began with a launch in Rundle Mall and a cheese and wine event at Hindmarsh Square, while the 2017 dairy day at the Royal Adelaide Show became a Do Dairy day.

The campaign also included a website, advertising on the back of a bus and a leaflet, which showed the names of SA-based dairy brands.

"For 12 to 18 months we gave it a red hot go but when the money ran out, that was the end of it," Ms Pacitti said.

During the campaign, Ms Pacitti said they could see a shift towards branded products, particularly SA products, away from supermarket house brands.

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She said much of the benefit came down to education, and letting consumers know what a difference they could make.

"SA is very parochial, so if we can make a connection with SA farmers, they would have that understanding of where their products come from and know it would build a more sustainable industry," she said. "Consumers want to connect and know they're making a difference to Australian farmers."

Ms Pacitti said it would be great to see the campaign get a new lease of life, potentially as part of the SA Dairy Industry Action Plan 2019-24, which aims to help the SA industry grow across the next five years.

She said the campaign required frequent events to keep the industry top of mind.

"We found we needed something every six to eight weeks for when it drops out of the newsfeed," she said.