Friday, March 29, 2024

Good PR is a self-help exercise

Neal Wallace
A united agricultural sector needs to promote itself by telling positive farming stories, public relations expert Deborah Pead says.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Industries such as dairy were constantly under scrutiny and having to defend themselves when the correct strategy was to get in first and tell the public what they were doing to address those concerns.

“It is hard to argue when you see a river dried up and farmers are flat-out irrigating but what is the solution? What are farmers doing about it?”

She found it unbelievable the agricultural sector was silent when New Zealand was recently ranked first-equal in the world for animal welfare, a perfect opportunity to remind the public they were doing an excellent job.

Sustainability was not a word she heard regularly.

Pead was commenting on the recent TVNZ current affairs Sunday programme that purported to be an opportunity for dairy farmers to respond to criticism of their industry but many saw it as a set-up showing farmers in a poor light.

She could understand why some farmers took exception to the programme but felt it was balanced, did not pursue an agenda and informed what life on a farm was actually about.

However, she noted Sunday had a history of unfavourable “block buster” documentaries on pig farming and the handling of bobby calves.

“They are not going to earn any points for putting a rose-tinted view on it,” she said of the most recent programme.

“They will show it in its raw, gritty form.”

Pead said when a brand was attacked it was a case of “putting on the flak jackets and fighting”.

“You ensure your voice is heard. You protect your brand in the bad times and remind the public of the good stuff.”

By being regularly reminded with positive images and messages about how good NZ farmers were, viewers would not believe how dairying was portrayed in programmes like Sunday because it wouldn’t resonate with their view of the industry.

“People would come to its defence because they would not believe it.”

Industries like agriculture did not need traditional television documentaries or media to get their message across or to tell their stories.

“In 2017 we don’t need to rely on Sunday or current affairs programmes to tell our stories for us.”

By using social media farming could spotlight its heroes and tell its own stories but it needed an industry-wide commitment to an agreed communication strategy.

Such messaging should not shy away from the unpalatable aspects of farming but be honest and explain why it was done and reinforce the fact farmers followed accepted, humane practices.

She described the Fonterra 4.31am campaign as “a good job” but it only scratched the surface of what could be covered, such as the love and care of animals, pest control, land and water management and conservation.

But it required an industry-wide agreement and commitment to a strategy.

“Where are all these organisations working together and talking holistically about all the good things.”

Country Calendar did a great job of showing the positive side of farming but Pead said the sector could not leave it up to a few programmes a year.

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