Yeo Valley Music Video

A new ad for a British dairy farm, Yeo Valley Organic uses rap music, cows grazing in sync, a hopping tractor, and a group of young hip adults to convey its message. The Yeo Valley way of life is about “living in harmony” according to their website. The hope is to bring attention to organic farming, particularly to a new subset: the younger generation.

Filmed on location in Somerset, England, the artists are not rapping about their bling, girlfriends, money, and cars, but rather their cows, tractors, and delicious fresh dairy projects. The fresh milk being slowly poured into a tall glass while lyrics like “This isn’t fictional farming…It’s realer than real” are sung, make me want to grab a glass instantly. The rap comes off catchy and smooth and I think it does a great job bridging organic farms to youth in a funny, humorous way. As a writer in USA Today (2010) writes, “Who says organic farming can't be hip?”

I think this marketing campaign is really interesting because it is one of the first times I’ve seen advertising for organic farming on a TV ad aimed directly at 20-40 year olds. It’s important to inform people of all ages of the benefits of sustainability and whole foods. Lyrics like “The air is clean,” “We just enjoy the results of what we do on the land,” and “We treat [the animals] good” help support this idea. Also, I think it will definitely help put not just Yeo Valley Organic on the map, but other organic farms with the same purpose. However, I do have to admit, it was a little weird watching shots of the cows grazing in unison and the tractor bouncing to the beat.

Ben Cull, Head of Brand Marketing at Yeo Valley said: “The campaign is a new direction for Yeo Valley, not only being on TV for the first time, but really shouting about our sustainably produced, quality organic food…the ad creative supports our belief that organic produce should be accessible and affordable to all. It uses humor to show we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but that we’re an authentic, family run business that believes in making dairy products in harmony with nature.” Depending on the scope of the marketing campaign, I think it has the potential to imply that farming is progressive, contemporary and pertinent to all individuals.

I wonder how others will perceive the video and its effectiveness. With already close to 800,00 views of the music video on YouTube, time will tell soon enough.