AHDB’s Let’s Eat Balanced campaign delivers an impressive win for British farmers in a major dairy marketing push, with an estimated £28 of extra sales for every £1 invested. The surprising gains come at a time when the dairy sector needs solid support from consumers.
Independent analysis published by NIQ shows that the collection organization’s January 2025 campaign generated an additional £11.9 million in sales across milk, cheese and yoghurt.
The results highlight how smart, targeted marketing can change buying habits and strengthen demand for British dairy products in a market defined by price volatility, rising costs and intense competition.
Television was found to be the biggest driver of growth, accounting for 44.2% of the increase. Digital activity was also strong, with the effect compounded by ads running on both traditional and on-demand platforms, increasing milk sales by almost 2%.
AHDB says this multi-channel strategy will help keep British dairy products top of mind for shoppers by meeting families looking for information, meal ideas and nutritional advice.
Paul Flanagan, Director of Dairy at AHDB, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for levy payers and a clear demonstration of AHDB’s ability to drive growth in the dairy sector.”
“This shows that when we invest in strategic marketing, we can strengthen consumer confidence, build long-term demand and return real value to taxpayers.”
‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ promotes British red meat and dairy products as part of a diverse diet, highlighting their protein, vitamin B12 and natural nutritional value, and highlighting the environmentally friendly practices used by many UK farmers.
A key part of this campaign is its focus on trust and provenance. Through real stories from British farmers, from grazing systems to high welfare and environmental improvements, ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ aims to reassure shoppers that choosing British dairy products supports food produced to world-leading standards.
By putting farmers on screen and online, the campaign helps consumers connect with nutritious dairy products and the people who produce them.
Producers say this support is becoming increasingly important as high input costs and changing consumer behavior continue to pressure profit margins. Strong retail demand will help stabilize the UK milk market and strengthen dairy products’ reputation as nutritious and affordable staple foods.
Carrie McDiarmid, head of national marketing, said the campaign’s numbers demonstrate the strength of the combination of nutrition messaging and farmer-led storytelling. “We are pleased to see such strong results from the Let’s Eat Balanced Dairy Marketing Mixed Model Study,” she said.
“This campaign continues to show how we can make a real impact by combining clear messages about nutrition with real stories from British farmers.”
