The holidays offer numerous opportunities for dairy promotions and activities. Consumers are looking to add a flavorful flare to their festivities, and Wisconsin dairy products have a lot to offer. However, the hustle and bustle between holiday events can leave dairy promotion volunteers strapped for time.

If this is the case for your group, consider a different avenue to reach your audience. Many dairy promotion groups around the state are reaching audiences through car radios and local papers rather than face to face in the supermarket.

The Taylor County Dairy Promotion group, which has a limited number of active participants, found a solution for their time constraints through a partnership with their local radio station. "The owners and staff of our radio station are fantastic people," says Juanita Krug, the group's chairperson.

In 2002, the committee kicked off "The 12 Days of Dairy" in cooperation with K99 WKEB/WIGM in Medford. Station owners Brad and Karen Dahlvig, who have been actively involved with the promotion group in the past, were instrumental in getting the promotion off the ground. "After a while it's hard for us to come up with new ideas. They would come to us with their thoughts," Krug says.

Sue Rhyner, the K99 staff member who will organize this year's "12 Days of Dairy," is excited to bring the promotion back after a year off. "Dairy is such a strong part of our community. As a local business we understand that and really enjoy working on these projects," she says.

How it works
Each day, callers are awarded with prizes ranging from dairy promotion gifts to coupons for dairy products at local businesses. At the end of the 12-day run, grand prize winners are treated to a cheese box from Mullins, a local cheese plant. "They are very good to us," Krug says, reiterating the fact that relationships with local businesses can lead to successful promotions.

In past years the promotion has drawn qualifiers from eight counties, proving that radio really reaches. What's more, K99 sees importance in promoting dairy and donates a portion of the on-air time, cutting down on the overall costs.

Partner with local businesses
Promoting dairy promotes the local economy and the well-being of local businesses. Cheese plants, grocery stores and radio stations are also promoting their own businesses when they team up with a local group for dairy promotions. Everyone wins!

This holiday season, consider approaching the radio station, newspaper or other local business with a promotion idea, share the workload and reap the benefits.

Save Time – Quick and Easy Holiday Promotions Ideas

• Form a partnership with your local newspaper or radio station
• Serve dairy treats during fellowship time at church, organization meetings or sporting events
• Offer coupons for dairy products at community events
• Work with local stores to run special sales and promotion on dairy products
• Share recipes (available at www.wisdairy.com) with others
• Organize a cookie exchange

For holiday recipes, log onto www.wisdairy.com or www.butterisbest.com.

For more information about the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's County Dairy Leader Groups or how you can get involved in your local area, contact Becky Kronberg at 800-373-9662, or check out the Wisconsin County Dairy Leader Group link on www.wisdairy.com.

For Wisconsin Dairy Impact information, email or call Moriah Morris at 800-373-9662.