Milking ‘tiger mum’ message

These two key marketing messages were part of a range of topics about innovation and growth in the dairy industry at last week’s Dairy Research Foundation symposium.

The symposium, held in the Hunter Valley, was hosted by the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science.

New Zealand-based Dr John Penno, managing director of Canterbury-based dairy company Synlait, urged attendees to be serious about change for the better.

He said people needed to get rid of complacency, to be curious and to have courage.

“You only get value if you deliver value, and you have to be really curious about what the customer wants,” he said.

“China provides quite an interesting model of choosing and understanding the customer.

He pinpointed a key demographic of the “tiger mum”: Chinese, aged 25 to 35 years, a single child of a wealthy family, and a working professional.

“She uses her smart phone more than any other demographic in the world and she spends six hours a day online,” he said.

“She is probably one of the most internet savvy and wealthiest people in the world.

“She is wealthy so she is prepared to pay a premium for the product, but she is savvy and smart and she can figure stuff out – so what do we do with this?”

He said in the case of Synlait, it turned this observation into a system to prove the product it produced was wholesome and good.

This has taken the form of an on-farm certification program, Lead With Pride, based on four key pillars: environment, animal health and welfare, milk quality and social responsibility.

He said these four pillars were of key concern for the demographic and as such the certification program actively addressed the Chinese export market for Synlait.

Dr Penno encouraged those in the industry to pay particular note of their customers.

“You have to get rid of all your complacency and you have to have the courage to actually make the change that you need to, to deliver that to your customer.”

This was echoed by marketing expert Craig Davis, Brand Karma, Sydney, who emphasised consumers didn’t buy what you do – they bought “why you do what you do.”

“Consumers want to know somebody loved and nurtured their food,” Mr Davis said.

He also stressed the Australian dairy industry – and Australian agriculture in general – should not succumb to what he called the “supermodel syndrome”.

“One of the big challenges is the Australian story is stuck: Australia is a bit like a willowy supermodel, born and blessed with an abundance of natural assets, and ogled, filmed and photographed wherever she goes,” he said.

“And wherever she goes she expects the world’s attention, she expects people to come to her.

“We assume our natural gifts will automatically be translated into demand and desire for Australian produce, but frankly, that just doesn’t happen automatically.

“We are not the only people who are eyeing major Asian markets.”

Mr Davis said it was important for the industry to consider the importance of brand relationships.

“Australia can’t afford to rely on God-given gifts; we need to be brilliant business thinkers and brand builders too,” he said.

“What we take for granted here in Australia like pristine environment, state-of-the-art technology, high nutritional value of our foods, quality, taste, safety, regulation – and what we expect a premium for internationally – goes mostly unbranded, unappreciated and undervalued, internationally and domestically.”

A 450-hectare Holstein dairy farm on the alluvial flats of the Hunter River was the setting for a conference tour during the Dairy Research Foundation symposium last week, with the Redgrove family providing visitors with an intricate look into their substantial dairy operation.

The family farming partnership, Nundah Pastoral, also comprises lucerne hay and maize production.

The farm tour incorporated three rotating seminars on feeding systems, calf-rearing and dairy health, and reproduction, with participants in the Emerging Dairy Scientists’ Program delivering presentations on their research.

Stephanie Bullen, of the University of Melbourne, was voted the 2014 Emerging Scientist. She is conducting research into drench resistance on south-east Victorian dairy farms.

The tour included a presentation from Tocal Agricultural College principal Dr Cameron Archer, who highlighted the importance of agricultural education and its positive impact on the dairy industry.