WMMB Promotes More Than Cheese
by Dave Bavlnka, WMMB staff

You've heard a lot about Wisconsin's quality cheese – and you'll continue to hear much more in the coming months as the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) launches a new Wisconsin cheese branding campaign. That doesn't mean milk and other dairy products get lost in the shuffle.

WMMB's Communications and Local Promotions Committee, comprised of 12 dairy producer Board members, ensures that checkoff funds are allocated for fluid and local markets promotions. If you take a look at the numbers, Wisconsin producers and processors, through the national check-off and processor investments, contribute more than $14 million annually to support the nutritional and quality image of fluid milk and other dairy products like butter, sour cream, eggnog, whipping cream and buttermilk. And, these promotional and advertising efforts for fluid milk products are reaping dividends.

WMMB's holiday promotion is a perfect example of such successes. Since the holidays send many individuals to the kitchen for cooking and baking, we work to ensure that Wisconsin dairy products are key ingredients in holiday recipes. This year, WMMB teamed up with the Wisconsin Baker's Association (WBA) to produce "Milk & Cookies Top Off the Holidays," a colorful brochure that showcased five cookie recipes loaded with Wisconsin dairy products. The brochure also offered helpful cookie-giving tips and included five colorful gift tags, designed to help encourage gift-giving of foods made with Wisconsin dairy products. A free children's storybook complemented the recipe brochure.

Radio advertisements, Sunday newspaper inserts, product demonstrations and public relations helped generate consumer excitement for the program. To date, WMMB staff members has received more than 50,000 orders for recipe brochures and children's storybooks.

Since 1990, we have capitalized on the Holiday tradition by promoting dairy products as cooking and baking ingredients. In addition to radio and print advertising, WMMB works with fluid milk processors such as Morning Glory, Dean Foods, Golden Guernsey, Marigold Foods, Verifine Dairy, Swiss Valley Farms and others to distribute merchandising materials and encourage local grocers to promote real dairy products. WMMB often capitalizes on the popular got milk?® national fluid campaign to shine the spotlight on milk among Wisconsin consumers. Many of those efforts are directed at sports programs, including WIAA tournaments, Badger State Games and University of Wisconsin athletics. Those programs not only demonstrate the important role milk plays in a healthy, active lifestyle, they also target families with energetic children – families who buy milk. And, because we're tying these efforts with national campaigns, we're able to use checkoff dollars efficiently and effectively.

Although holidays, sports – and June Dairy Month – provide optimal seasonal opportunities to capitalize on potential fluid promotions, WMMB also supports fluid programs on an ongoing basis. WMMB and milk processors regularly cooperate on promotions to ensure that those investments gain maximum benefits. And, WMMB supports the Dairy Council of Wisconsin with budgets to act as WMMB's nutrition education arm. That means your checkoff dollars are continually at use to increase product demand and nutrition education through school foodservice and milk vending programs.

Milk consumption trends indicate that Wisconsin producer and processor investments are paying dividends. For the first time in six years, teen milk consumption has increased, attributed largely to the plastic bottles and flavored milks. In addition, national chocolate milk sales are up approximately 10 percent with Wisconsin exceeding that increase.

While cheese promotion will remain a very important part of WMMB marketing efforts, fluid milk and other Wisconsin dairy products will receive extensive attention through current and future promotional avenues. If you have any questions or concerns about fluid marketing, I encourage you to contact your district representative or the WMMB office.

Dave Bavlnka is the vice president Marketing Fluid and Related Products.