Australia produces some of the most sustainable and high-quality cotton in the world. In a social-first campaign for Cotton Australia, we put farmers in front of the camera to raise awareness of the industry and grow consumer trust.
Cotton Australia is the peak body for Australia’s cotton industry, working to keep the sector competitive, responsible and sustainable. For more than 50 years, the organisation has given cotton growers a voice on key issues like research, stewardship, natural resource management and cotton production.
Results of the 2025 Community Trust in the Australian Cotton Industry survey showed that knowledge of the cotton industry is low among everyday Australians. So Cotton Australia came to The Content Division for help addressing knowledge gaps and common misconceptions.
What followed was an engaging series of social-first videos exploring what modern cotton farming looks like, with farmers themselves providing the answers.
The challenge
The 2025 cotton industry survey revealed that almost half of respondents either couldn’t remember the last time they’d heard about the Australian cotton industry, or had never heard about it. It also uncovered high levels of uncertainty around topics like water use, biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.
Our task was to make accurate information about the industry easier to find and understand.
Thanks to Cotton Australia’s strong evidence and research, we had plenty of fodder for an effective awareness campaign. But it wouldn’t be enough to simply publish more facts. We needed to make those facts entertaining, accessible and credible so they would cut through the noise, hook people in and keep them watching.
Our approach
From the research, we knew that social media was one of the top five places people could remember hearing about cotton. This was one reason we pitched a campaign optimised for socials.
We proposed using short-form video as the medium to grab attention and maximise engagement, and suggested putting farmers in front of the camera. Who better to share the realities of cotton farming than the people who do it every day? Their first-hand experience, strong knowledge and genuine pride in the product would lend authority and authenticity to the content, helping it to stand out and change minds.
The first creative execution used audience-question formats inspired by social staples such as You Can’t Ask That and web search interviews. Growers were quizzed on topics known to spark curiosity, debate or scepticism: Is cotton farming running rivers dry? Are Australian farms owned by overseas companies? What happens to the rest of the cotton plant after the fibre is harvested?
The two-day shoot took us to two cotton farms in Queensland’s Darling Downs. We then shaped the interviews into bite-size videos that captured the growers’ warmth, personality and dry humour.
A second series leans into a popular social media trend, with growers fed internet slang and doing their best to deliver it with a straight face.
The videos pair phrases like “spill the tea”, “no cap” and “main character energy” with facts about water efficiency, Australian ownership, and modern farming practices, creating content that feels at home in the feed without losing the substance behind it.
The series is complemented by a creator trip developed and managed by The Content Division, taking lifestyle creators to cotton farms during picking season. The creators met growers, toured working farms and got a first-hand look at how Australian cotton is made before sharing the experience with their own Instagram and TikTok audiences.
We involved creators whose audiences already had a connection with cotton through fashion, beauty, lifestyle and homewares content. The brief encouraged them to ask questions, capture what they learned and create content that felt natural for their followers.
Cotton Australia was involved throughout the entire process, providing feedback during concept development and production. This ensured every output aligned with business objectives and leveraged the formats and trends that perform on socials.
The results
The campaign was published across Cotton Australia’s Instagram, TikTok and Facebook channels through a mix of organic and paid distribution over a 12-week launch, with the creator-led component extending its reach into relevant lifestyle audiences.
Compared to the previous period, the campaign reported:
- 5,479 new followers across channels (17.5% growth rate)
- 4.25 million impressions (up 304%)
- 111,738 engagements (up 78%)
Through precise strategy, creative thinking, strong client communication, high-quality production and creator amplification, we successfully turned niche information into entertaining, trustworthy content that earned meaningful attention and built understanding.
Ultimately, the project has started new conversations between Cotton Australia and the public about an industry that touches their lives in ways they may never have considered.
We have had a lot of great feedback from growers, industry and the wider community about the campaign, particularly about how the clever content concept hooked in unfamiliar viewers for a memorable moment.
– Desley Sheedy – Communications Manager at Cotton Australia