Milk cartons latest advertising opportunity

A growing number of national brands are reaching children at school and shoppers by placing ads on milk cartons, reports the October 2009 California Dairy Review. The ads on the half-pints that are distributed through school lunch programs are aimed at children, while the larger containers, like gallon jugs, are intended to reach the adults who do the shopping for their households. Here are some examples:

Recently, General Mills promoted Cheerios with stickers on gallon jugs, and Kraft targeted shoppers with ads for Honey Maid graham crackers. In stores in some major American markets this summer, stickers appeared promoting Duncan Hines with a photo of brownies and the text: “Cold Milk, Warm Brownies, mmmmmmmm.”

Even with the availability of television and the internet, the milk jug is still a medium that reaches the masses. Gary Hemphill, of the Beverage Marketing Corporation, says milk is unique in that it is a bottled drink and also an ingredient for baking and cereal. “It finds its way into most refrigerators in the homes of Americans,” he said.

BoxTop Media hired the research company Knowledge Networks to find out whether these ads were effective, using data from loyalty card programs like the Safeway Club Card. Al Halkuff, a senior vice-president of Knowledge Networks, said that for the 25 to 30 campaigns he had studied, there was a “significant improvement in sales.” For a large brand, he said a significant increase could be 4 to 6 percent, and, for a new or smaller brand, sales could double.

"Our program which places ads on milk packages is as much about promoting milk usage and consumption as it is about the advertised products," says Tony Perrotta of Box Top Media."

Stonyfield and CROPP enter new partnership to sustain organic dairy farming

CROPP, the nation’s largest organic milk cooperative recently announced that it has entered a new partnership with Stonyfield Organic. CROPP is best-known to the dairy industry for its Organic Valley brand of dairy products. For more than 11 years, CROPP has supplied milk for all of Stonyfield’s dairy products with the exception of fluid milk. However, in this new partnership, CROPP will manage the organic milk supply for Stonyfield fluid milk products and invite the farmers producing that milk into the cooperative. HP Hood, the previous supplier, will continue to process the milk. CROPP will also license the Stonyfield fluid milk brand and oversee its sales and retail distribution.

The goal of the new partnership, according to Stonyfield Organic, is to further sustain organic family farming and preserve consumer choice. "This broader partnership with Stonyfield keeps organic farmers organic, keeps organic land organic, helps keep toxins out of our bodies and our earth, and gives retailers and consumers a much-needed alternative," said George Siemon, CEO of CROPP Cooperative. CROPP Cooperative currently includes 1,333 members from across the country who produce a variety of organic foods, including dairy, meats, eggs, and produce.