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WP1: Communication

Led by: Sara Landqvist and Netta Lönnqvist, Nordic Genetic Resource Center, Sweden.

Aim

Continuous, proactive communication was a core element of the 3MC project, underpinning all activities and ensuring that key messages reached diverse audiences across the Nordic region. WP1 aimed to maximise public awareness of the historical, cultural, and contemporary importance of Nordic Mountain Cattle breeds through a coordinated multi-channel approach. Communication was organised at two levels – internal (to facilitate cooperation among project partners) and external (to publicise project goals and findings). NordGen, as the lead partner, directed WP1 and employed a dedicated communications officer (50% FTE, June 2020 – Sept 2022) to support these efforts.

Activities

From the project’s launch in late 2019, WP1 emphasised continuous information-sharing rather than limiting outreach to the dissemination of a few peer-reviewed articles. Activities included regular news updates on partner websites, press releases, social media content, media engagement, and exhibition materials, often developed in collaboration with other WPs to ensure timely dissemination of results. The onset of COVID‑19 required a rapid pivot from in-person events to digital outreach and media engagements. Despite these challenges, the team maintained a high level of communication activity throughout the project’s duration, aligning major outreach pushes with key project milestones (e.g. project launch, calls for public contributions, research breakthroughs, exhibition openings, and the game app release).

~50 million

People reached by the communication concept

40+

National and regionalnews features

10+

Radio and television appearances

6+

Museum exhibitions and associated public events

Results

WP1 delivered a high level of public engagement with native cattle breeds in the Nordic countries. Key communication achievements are summarised below (see Appendix for full communication outputs):
  • Extensive media coverage across Finland, Sweden, and beyond – 40+ news and feature articles, six opinion articles, and over a dozen radio and TV segments – highlighting project milestones and findings. 
  • Multi-channel outreach via NordGen and partner platforms, including more than 25 web news releases and social media campaigns, ensuring consistent visibility. 
  • Museum and community engagement through a cross-border travelling exhibition (launched April 2022) and public events such as seminars, fairs, public talks, and community reminiscence events, directly reaching local communities in the core area of the mountain cattle once pandemic restrictions eased. 
  • Innovative digital engagement such as the Nordic Cows mobile game (developed under WP6) and on online exhibition to educate and involve youth in heritage breed conservation. 

Communication outputs in summary (2019–2022)

Overall, the project achieved sustained Nordic‑wide visibility, strong local anchoring through museum collaboration, and effective integration of scientific, cultural, and public‑facing communication. The communication concept reached an estimated audience of approximately 50 million people (based on Meltwater media analysis), significantly increasing awareness of Nordic Mountain Cattle.
Key indicators are summarised below (see Appendix for full details): 
  • National and regional news articles and features: 40+ 
  • Opinion and debate articles: 6 
  • Radio and television appearances: 10+ 
  • Institutional news articles and web publications: 25+ 
  • Museum exhibitions and associated public events: 6+ 
  • Peer‑reviewed scientific articles 5+ 
NordGen