Many Americans get their information and entertainment differently these days. The rise of streaming platforms has fragmented the national television audience, and one survey showed that most consumers prefer to learn about a brand on their phone.

The average household has 3.4 streaming service subscriptions and 17 internet-connected devices in their home, said MilkPEP’s Alexa de Alessandrini at the Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, National Milk Producers Federation, and United Dairy Industry Association. The average American will spend about five hours per week streaming entertainment and 4.5 hours on their phone every day. Members of Gen Z — people currently between 13 and 27 years old — typically average three to four hours on social media alone every day, she said.

With all of these devices inundating us with content, it is no surprise that the average American’s attention span has fallen in the last decade to just 8.25 seconds. That’s shorter than a goldfish.

This means that the advertising world has changed. De Alessandrini, who worked with Nickelodeon, Disney+, and ESPN+ before joining the dairy community, knows how audiences consume content and how crucial it is to capture their attention quickly. The flip side of having so many channels being consumed is that we as dairy marketers have many avenues to reach potential customers.

“What I’m glad to share is that dairy is winning in this space. In the last year, we’ve seen an almost 30% increase in social chatter,” she said. There were nearly 10 million unique social media posts that spotlight dairy, including thousands of recipes.

It is not just about putting content out there, though. It has to be content that people trust, and de Alessandrini said that research has shown that we trust scientists and people that seem like us more than the government or media.

That relatability factor is where people such as influencers come in. If you are a mom looking for healthy snacks to send to school with your kids, you are going to look for ideas from other moms. If you are a college student who wants restaurant or product recommendations, you will likely search online to see what other people have enjoyed. Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) works with 12 influencers who curate content for different audiences from moms to nutrition seekers to take advantage of this trend.

It's about meeting people where they are and where they are looking for information. If you are only sending your message out in one format, you’re missing opportunities with other consumers.

At the meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., Cindy Swansiger from the Dairy Council of Arizona described a few projects they have found success within the digital space. For example, they partnered with a local mom with a large social media following around back-to-school time to develop an easy chocolate chip muffin recipe that uses cottage cheese. From the posts the influencer made, the page for the recipe gained over 15 million views. Clicking on an ad on the page instantly filled a user’s Instacart grocery shopping list with the recipe’s ingredients.

More exposure

Outside of social media, DMI’s Heather Oldani discussed the See Dairy Differently campaign, which aimed to reach consumers with dairy’s message in unexpected places — Wired magazine, bus stations, and more. This content highlighted dairy’s sustainability and farming stories.

MilkPEP also saw success with the Dairy Diaries five-episode series they created for the Roku streaming platform. These videos followed comedian Vanessa Bayer as she learned about a New York dairy farm. The series was Roku’s most-viewed content in the 10- to 12-minute mark and extended by the platform for 30 days because it was so popular, de Alessandrini explained.

More importantly, de Alessandrini noted that in a survey of people who watched the series, 60% came away with respect for farmers and that dairy is environmentally friendly. The videos are available to watch for free here.

All of these avenues share dairy’s story in a way that is relevant to consumers. That’s evident in the positive and energizing coverage dairy is getting online. “We see a lot of consumers being excited to share how they engage with dairy,” de Alessandrini summarized.