With the pandemic spurring everyone to stock up on essential food items and start cooking meals at home more frequently, we wanted to demonstrate the vital nutritional and emotional role well-loved dairy essentials such as milk, butter and cheese play in our diets and daily lives, no matter who you are or how you enjoy them.
Dairy connects all of us, whether it’s comforting favorites or the healthy snacks we feed our children. There are endless ways to enjoy and experiment. This was especially true in 2020, as there was a dramatic increase in cooking at home and a rush to grab grocery essentials — especially milk, butter, and cheese. Knowing that people are fascinated by the personal lives of celebrity athletes and have a keen interest in getting an up-close glimpse into their day-to-day routines, we partnered with influential voices from all across the country to share what foods give them the “Home Fridge Advantage.”
Each installment of our six-episode content series saw one notable NFL Player partnered with an influencer — parents, dietitians, chefs, and others — to find what’s similar and celebrate what’s different about the ways we eat dairy, fruits, veggies, and more. In a loose, improvisational “MTV Cribs”-style format, these athletes and influencers gave their fans a sneak peek inside their fridges and dubbed their Fridge MVP: the dairy item they can’t live without.
Given the pandemic’s impact on production practices, we had to get crafty with our approach. All productions were done remotely, with the creative team video conferencing with talent to give them direction as they filmed themselves. This created an even more intimate, behind-the-scenes look and feel for our content —as if viewers were just stopping by their favorite players’ and influencers’ kitchens.
At the height of the NFL season, we gave “off the field” access to players as they and influencers posted the Home Fridge Advantage on their own Instagram channels. NFL.com also shared creative as :15 pre-roll, which created an authentic, timely experience for fans and boosted the series’ reach and engagement.
As content rolled out, our team seized the opportunity to create shorter, bite-sized pieces of Instagram content — :15s, GIFs, and stills — to capitalize on key moments in the NFL season and the most engaging snippets of our episodes. For example, when Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf made headlines for his lightning-fast rundown of an interception, we were able to boost his content with timely posts celebrating his achievement.
State and regional dairy organizations also helped build buzz around the series, even creating their own versions with local influencers and getting local earned media coverage.
Home Fridge Advantage soared above benchmarks, gaining more than 44.8MM impressions. More than 32,000 people were driven to our website, USDairy.com, to view more of the series — a 146% increase in traffic. Most importantly, our content received majority positive-to-neutral sentiment, showing that the authenticity of our format and our talent could really make people think about the food in their fridges a little differently, and come away with a whole new appreciation for dairy.
