Advertising Campaign Notes Up To 20 Percent of Milk Is From Out-Of-State
(September 5, 2007) Californians will soon be able to clearly identify locally produced milk at the supermarket as the result of a major new California dairy industry initiative to promote California milk and dairy products.
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced today it is introducing a Real California Milk seal which certifies that fluid milk bearing the seal is made exclusively with milk produced on California dairy farms. The seal also will appear on other dairy products produced exclusively with California milk including butter, ice cream and yogurt. California consumers will begin seeing the seal in grocery stores in October, according to the CMAB.
A statewide advertising campaign that includes television commercials, newspaper and magazine ads, radio, outdoor and trade advertising will introduce the new seal to consumers in early October. The campaign will launch with full-page newspaper advertisements throughout the state informing Californians that as much as 20 percent of the fluid milk sold in California is being trucked in from out-of-state.
"The Real California Milk seal is a direct response to a very clear consumer demand for locally produced milk and we are confident it will be embraced by California shoppers, even to the point that they will ask for California-certified milk at their local supermarkets," said Stan G. Andre, CMAB Chief Executive Officer.
Andre cited research that showed California consumers have a strong preference for California milk and dairy products. "Seven out of 10 Californians said they prefer to purchase locally-produced milk for their families and two-thirds said they would even go to a different store to find locally-produced milk because they believe it is fresher, and also because they want to support California dairy farmers," Andre said.
The CMAB's popular Happy Cows advertising campaign is being expanded to support the new milk seal. The television advertising will continue to feature the Happy Cows, but now will close with a scene depicting the broad range of dairy products produced in California and a new tagline: "Great milk comes from Happy Cows. Happy Cows come from California. Make sure it's made with Real California Milk." The CMAB will continue to promote Real California Cheese and the cheese seal will continue to appear in advertising.
"The new Real California Milk seal is an extension of the very popular Happy Cows advertising campaign that the California Milk Advisory Board has used for nearly seven years," said Michael Freeman, Vice President of Advertising for the CMAB. "We know that most consumers in California and nationally like the Happy Cows campaign and they also like to buy cheese from California," said Freeman. "The Real California Milk seal is a natural way of leveraging these two positive attributes to support California's other dairy products."
The CMAB has announced that a number of leading California dairy processors have committed to use the Real California Milk seal on their packaging for fluid milk and dairy products such as butter and ice cream.
"We are adding the seal to our milk packaging because it's clear that consumers want locally-produced milk, and the seal reassures them that's what they are getting," said Jeff Foster, president of Foster Farms Dairy, Modesto. "In the consumer's mind, local means fresh; fresh means higher quality milk."
One of the state's leading producers of butter is also adopting the Real California Milk seal. "California is a very important part of our identity and the seal strengthens that connection in the minds of our consumers," said Richard Cotta, president of California Dairies, Inc., which produces Challenge brand butter. "The seal reassures consumers that they are getting butter made with high quality California milk."
California is the nation's leading milk producer and also produces more butter, ice cream, yogurt and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese, which is available nationally under the Real California Cheese seal.