GAA footballer Vikki Wall stars in new TV campaign highlighting hard work of top athletes

Award-winning Meath GAA footballer, Vikki Wall stars in a new National Dairy Council campaign to highlight the hard work required to become a top athlete.

‘From the Ground Up’ focuses on the commitment required by sports people and dairy farmers to be top of their game.

The NDC ads showcase double All Ireland winning footballer Vikki Wall and Irish world class rower Paul O’Donovan who recently won gold at the European Championships, together with NDC Farm Ambassador, Tom Power.

2021 Footballer of the Year and NDC Ambassador Vikki Wall is currently based in Australia playing AFLW in Melbourne.

This campaign sets out to bring balance to the argument – showcasing the hard work undertaken by our dairy farmers each day. Not only is the industry comprised of 17,500 family farms, but thanks to our grass-based production system, Ireland is one of the most sustainable dairy producers in the world. Irish dairy is enjoyed and celebrated the world over, just like our athletes.

Zoë Kavanagh, CEO NDC said “This campaign celebrates Irish dairy farmers as producers of nutritious products which are enjoyed on and off the field of play. The commitment and dedication of our sports stars and dairy farmers have many parallels, ultimately leading to great outcomes.”

There are lots of parallels that can be drawn between athletes and farmers. It starts with the right ingredients, hard work, effort and passion 365 days a year to deliver a world class food product. In the same way that producing world class dairy mirrors the processes of elite athletes. It begins from the ground up, from good foundations. Like our athletes, our farmers stay grounded while performing on the world stage of top food production.

NDC Farm Ambassador Tom Power from Waterford said, “I am proud to be part of this NDC ad as part of the From the Ground Up campaign. There is often a disconnect between the farm where milk is produced and the shop where it is bought, and the more opportunities we get to tell real farm stories, the more consumers will understand the commitment and hard graft that it takes to produce high quality Irish dairy products. Irish farm families are so proud of the products we produce, we are the driving force behind producing world class dairy products that people want to purchase and are a key part of a healthy, modern lifestyle - the demand for which just keeps increasing. We need to continue to find opportunities to tell our story and this campaign is setting a great example”.

The series of 30’ and 60’ spots showcases in a highly visual and emotive way the hard work and commitment from Paul, Vikki and Tom to succeed in their various disciplines. For athletes that can be skill, determination and hard work. For farmers it’s the care for the animals and understanding the land.

As part of the campaign, Paul and Vikki were also interviewed by Irish dairy farmer and TikTok’er, John Halton in a light-hearted, slightly tongue in cheek series, Athletes in Tractors Getting Milk. The quirky content series was inspired by the US series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld. As the NDC understands the importance of connecting with the young urban consumer around dairy, we have created this engaging content, set on a real-life Irish dairy farm where the conversation can go anywhere from training regimes to grassland management. The content really gives an insight into the challenges of training to be a top-class athlete and working 24/7 to farm the land – 100% commitment and determination on both sides!

The campaign launches with 30’, 20’ and 6’ spots from Friday 23rd September in cinemas and across media from Monday 26th September until end of October.

Athletes in Tractors Getting Milk will be available on the NDC’s YouTube channel and across its social media channels Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.