In celebration of June Dairy Month, America’s dairy farmers are lanching a consumer awareness initiative. As dairy farmers, you know the good work you are doing on the farm, and Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI) is reaching out to consumers on your behalf to share the positive story of dairy products! Bravo on a wonderful campaign!
Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, have launched a consumer awareness initiative to educate consumers about the nutritional and economic value of dairy products, as well as the contributions that America’s dairy producers make to their community, economy and the environment.
“This initiative advances our goal to help grow immediate- and short-term sales,” said Tom Gallagher, chief executive officer of DMI. “Not only are we communicating about dairy’s value, but also this enables us to share with consumers how dairy producers contribute to their community, the economy and the environment.”
National and local dairy promotion organizations are implementing activities that promote how dairy foods – such as milk, cheese and yogurt – are naturally nutrient rich and provide important nutrients such as protein, vitamin D, potassium, and calcium to the diet. Dairy’s unique nutrient package offers a real economic value when evaluating the cost per nutrient compared to other foods and beverages.
In addition to dairy’s nutrient value, the initiative will educate consumers about dairy producers’ commitment to children’s health, their communities and the environment. Specifically, communications efforts will highlight:
- A $250 million investment by producers (through the checkoff) over the next five years to help fight childhood obesity in schools by supporting access to naturally nutrient-rich products, providing nutrition education and encouraging physical fitness.
- How the nation’s 56,000 dairy farm families and processors invest in their local communities and generate billions of dollars in economic value across the country.
- Why dairy producers are the nation’s original environmentalists. Over the past 60 years, dairy producers have reduced their carbon emissions by 63 percent, the equivalent to taking 32 million cars off the road. (Source: Research conducted by Cornell University. Judith L. Capper, Euridice Castunada-Gutierrez, Roger A. Cady, and Dale E. Bauman, Journal of Animal Science, published first on March 13, 2009.)
Elements of the initiative include:
- One-time print placements in USA Today, People and Time leveraging on increased awareness during June Dairy Month.
- Heightened presence on Facebook, through Twitter and other social media efforts that will mobilize hundreds of dairy producers, health professionals and other dairy advocates to connect with consumers and build dairy’s positive image online.
- Links from national and local checkoff-funded Web sites, along with other industry sites, to messaging about “dairy value” on the Web.
- Local dairy promotion efforts that celebrate June Dairy Month, including media relations, consumer events and government proclamations that reinforce dairy producers’ contributions to their community, economy and the environment.