Getting The Word Out On Wisconsin Cheese
by Dana Tanyeri, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Staff

Advertising plays a crucial role in building awareness of, and demand for, Wisconsin dairy products. You're probably familiar with Wisconsin cheese ads that appear on television, on the radio, in magazines and newspapers, and even on the Internet. Yet there's another area of communications, public relations, that plays a critical role in complementing the advertising you see and hear on a regular basis.

While advertising increases awareness of Wisconsin dairy products, it's public relations that keeps the Wisconsin dairy message in front of key opinion leaders on a regular basis. These efforts get third-party sources – media, food critics, chefs, foodservice vendors – to tell our story and highlight out products. These endorsements add credibility and believability to our messages and build demand for our products.

WMMB's efforts tell the story of Wisconsin cheese. In the process, we garner endorsements and raise awareness and perceptions of Wisconsin cheese within each of our key markets: foodservice, retail and consumer. We use specific programs tailored to each audience to raise awareness among food opinion leaders-members of the media, chefs, food writers, retailers and ultimately consumers. We introduce them to Wisconsin cheese and to ensure that they understand the rich story behind each piece of our state's most famous product.

Here's a look at what we do to help increase demand for Wisconsin cheese:

Media Tours. Members of the media (reporters, editors, food critics, for example) are periodically invited to experience first-hand our cheesemaking heritage and expertise. These tours help educate the media on Wisconsin dairy products, and typically result in some media coverage for our industry-sometimes as soon as the tour ends. These tours also help establish relationships with media outlets, give them a deeper understanding of the Wisconsin cheese story, and provide contacts within the industry for future reference.

Culinary Events and Associations. WMMB actively participates in and, in some cases sponsors, major culinary associations and events. These events provide strong opportunities to convey the Wisconsin cheese story and meet with major media outlets. WMMB participates in several events throughout the year, including the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Cheese Society, the American Culinary Federation and popular consumer food and wine events such as the Kohler Food & Wine Experience, Madison Food & Wine Show and the Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience.

Media Briefings. While tours bring the media to Wisconsin, briefings take Wisconsin to the media. These "blitzes," conducted in various media cities including New York, Des Moines and Birmingham, consist of one-on-one meetings with food editors at leading consumer and trade publications. In 2003, WMMB met with New York-based magazines including Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, Country Living, Women's Day, Family Circle and Redbook. In August, WMMB will visit Des Moines for presentations to Meredith Publishing editors, who write the stories and provide the recipes for magazines including Better Homes & Gardens and Midwest Living. Some briefings involve sampling Wisconsin cheeses, while others feature cooking demonstrations by prominent chefs using Wisconsin cheese. These are great opportunities to tell the story of Wisconsin cheese and continue to build upon our key messages.

Ongoing Editorial Liaison. Perhaps one of the more important, but least obvious, activity of WMMB is the ongoing contact with the media. WMMB suggests stories, provides sources for news and information, and provides background information for media. WMMB also constantly monitors major media outlets to determine if cheese-related news is planned, and works with editors to ensure Wisconsin cheese is included.

This daily activity helps ensure that Wisconsin cheese is broadly and consistently represented.

Wisconsin cheese has a strong story to tell. Our heritage, our unparalleled expertise, our award-winning tradition, our innovation and leadership – all are chapters in that story. It's a job that's made much easier by the exceptional cheese and dairy products produced here in Wisconsin.

Dana Tanyeri is the Director, National Product Communications, on the staff of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.