Aussie rules legend and media personality Jonathan Brown is the new ambassador appointed by Dairy Australia.
But Dairy Australia will not say how much the appointment will cost farmers, although Platinum Speakers and Entertainers Bureau has his "fee range" listed at $5001 to $10,000 per appearance.
"Jonathan Brown is not comfortable with disclosing confidential information around his salary," a Dairy Australia spokesperson said.
"His payment has been benchmarked against similar partnerships, and is aligned with his deliverables."
Asked what those deliverables were, Dairy Australia said Jonathan Brown had been engaged to participate in dairy industry campaigns until mid-2022.
"This will involve, but not be limited to:
- Participation in the Dairy Matters marketing campaign across channels such as TV, radio, outdoor billboards and print.
- Participation in other initiatives such as health-related campaigns, World Milk Day and other major activities.
- Involvement in social media, media commentary and attending industry events."
Pressed for more details about those deliverables and what the return on investment for levy payers would be, the spokesperson said Dairy Australia undertook independent annual consumer tracking research and quarterly campaign dips to measure impact of activities against published KPIs and that would include campaigns involving Mr Brown.
"A contract is in place with Jonathan Brown to ensure commitments are agreed and delivered," the spokesperson added.
Farmer Power chief executive Garry Kerr farmers wanted full disclosure.
"There's got to be transparency on this," he said.
"What's the value for money in Jonathan Brown? In Victoria alone, a lot of people don't know who Jonathan Brown is and definitely interstate, people don't know who Jonathan Brown is."
Mr Brown is a three-time premiership player, winning two All-Australians and a Coleman medal.
He appears on FOX Footy and NOVA FM's Melbourne Breakfast show.
His grandfather had a dairy farm and his uncle farms near Warrnambool.
"Dairy has played such an integral role in so many parts of my life so I'm so excited to be working with the dairy industry to ensure more Aussies understand why dairy matters for health and to our local communities," Mr Brown said.
Dairy Australia spokesperson Glenys Zucco said, "as an industry we need to continue to promote dairy's health and nutrition benefits, and the role it plays in building strong regional communities, particularly in these challenging times.
"Engaging an ambassador that understands the role dairy plays in all these people's lives is so important to what we do.
"We know that Jonathan is someone who not only understands the industry but truly believes in it due to his personal connection so for that reason he is the perfect ambassador as we move forward to build trust and relevancy for dairy."
