SUMMER 2002
Communicate Effective Dairy Messages
Communication is a broad term. We have satellite communication, telecommunication, interpersonal communication, business-to-business communication, written communications, and verbal communications. And the list could go on. There is not a day that goes by when some form of communication is not present in our lives. This process of giving and exchanging information, signals, or messages is vital to the operations of farms, families, businesses, communities and life, as we know it.
At the 2002 Dairy Product Promotion Seminar in February, Dairy Diplomats from around the state gathered for communication and promotion training. Like every dairy farmer, the Dairy Diplomats’ goal is to increase the consumption of real dairy products. The Dairy Diplomats work towards their goal by volunteering their time to extend state or national dairy product promotions to local communities. Through this program, checkoff funds help to support local dairy product promotions and increase the audience reach of established programs.
While this process sounds a bit complicated and involved it is really very simple: speak with one voice to a defined target audience. All of us have the ability to be effective communicators just by keeping these two factors in mind. Dairy Management Inc., United Dairy Industry of Michigan, state and regional units from around the country and dairy farmers have worked diligently to define the audience that most needs to receive our messages. Moms buy the food for their families so they are a critical component of the target audience. Kids and teens need dairy products in their diets in order to get the calcium and essential nutrients their growing bodies needs.
The second component that is necessary to effectively work toward the goal of increasing the consumption of real dairy products is delivering consistent messages. Through your Marketing Plan, messages have been developed for all aspects of the dairy industry. These “key messages” are short statements that deliver a powerful message to the target audience. For example, when speaking with a parent that is concerned about his/her child’s nutrient intake, simply stating, “Dairy is doctor recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges kids to choose milk, yogurt and cheese for the calcium they need,” is a key message that communicates a powerful statement and can make a lasting impact on the individual.
Here are just a few of the key messages the dairy industry has developed :
u Dairy matters at every age for everyone! From fat-free to lactose-free, it’s easy to get 3-A-Day of dairy.
u Milk makes it easy for kids to get the bone-building calcium and other nutrients their growing bodies need. Drinking at least 3 glasses of milk a day helps build and maintain strong bones.
u The dairy checkoff helps to increase overall demand for dairy products.
u America's dairy farmers are dedicated to providing you with safe, high quality milk and dairy products. Our commitment to quality also means caring for our animals and the land.
Utilize these messages while speaking at a town meeting, to a reporter, at a dairy promotion event or to a neighbor.
The Dairy Diplomat Committee thinks communication plays such a vital role in successful dairy promotions that they focused most of the training at the Seminar on communication techniques. “The Seminar Planning Committee wanted to provide attendees with communication techniques and skill training that could be utilized while conducting dairy product promotion events,” stated Jessica M. Thompson, coordinator of the Dairy Diplomat program at
UDIM. “While conducting dairy product promotion events, Dairy Diplomats as well as dairy farmers can encounter a wide range of audience responses and questions. Being prepared with key messages and proven communication techniques offers a level of comfort that conveys confidence and credibility.”
At your next dairy product promotion event, take advantage of relating one or two key messages. The key to delivering effective communication is putting your knowledge to use!
If you are interested in receiving a complete list of the 2002 key messages or are interested in joining the Dairy Diplomat Committee, please call 1-800-241-MILK or visit the newly updated UDIM web site at
www.udim.org.
Thank you for giving me milk
While Wynonna Judd and Aretha Franklin sing praises to Mom on the radio for giving them milk, Michigan teens are enthusiastically thanking their schools for milk vending machines.
Milk vending presents dairy farmers with an innovative way to get milk to kids when they want it. Earlier this year, United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) offered Michigan schools an exclusive cost-sharing proposal to purchase milk vending machines. Through UDIM, the first eighty respondents received a Maytag Dixie-Narco milk vending machine at more than 50% off the original retail price. All eighty machines were placed by the first of May along with an in-service training program for the school personnel.
Significant to the success of the machine placements is the promotion package that accompanied each machine. Sharon Toth, UDIM School Foodservice Coordinator, says with conviction, “The promotion aspect of our vending program is essential to the successful kick off for the machine. Just like any other sales endeavor your customers need to become accustomed to a new purchasing opportunity. The promotion package was key to creating excitement around the machine.”
School foodservice directors and students alike report they are pleased to have milk available in the 360 pint capacity machines during all hours of school operation". “The procedure for placing the machines, although not uncomplicated, has paid off in enthusiastic reports from across the state,” states Nick Bellows, UDIM CEO. Milk vending is another way the dairy checkoff helps to increase overall demand for dairy products.
School Foodservice Directors continue to sing praises for the milk vending machines and the opportunities to provide kids with a nutritious beverage choice.
Michigan Dairy Promotion Highlights
uUnited Dairy Industry of Michigan is excited to offer a new recipe leaflet for 2002 featuring the Make It Better With Milk program. The goal of this program is to reach out to moms across the country by offering easy-to-make, imaginative recipes and tips to encourage milk consumption among children. The recipe leaflet contains 11 delicious recipes that give moms, dads and kids a great opportunity to have some fun in the kitchen. There is a recipe for every season, complete with mom- and dad-friendly variations. Chill out with a Lip-Lickin’ Limeade Chiller or hang out with
Marvelicious Mac and Cheese and put milk on the menu tonight! Call UDIM at 1-800-241-MILK to order Make It Better With Milk recipe leaflets for your next dairy promotion.
uThe Great Dairy Adventure comes to the Pavilion on the campus of Michigan State University on July 17th, where it will be transformed into a dairy safari for the kids. Packed with fun and information, the Great Dairy Adventure will lead kids and adults through a jungle of hands-on exhibits and activities.
Kids of all ages can see live animal exhibits (of the dairy kind) and join in on the fun activities which will be set-up around hundreds of cows. United Dairy Industry of Michigan will promote the Mix It With Milk contest and let kids sample creative milk concoctions. Cow milking, coloring projects, and milk mustache pictures will also entertain as kids explore the wild world of dairy!
The Great Dairy Adventure takes place on Wednesday, July 17th from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All activities will take place inside the MSU Pavilion, located on the corner of Mt. Hope and Farm Lane. Admission and activities are all free!
Health Professional/Medical Outreach
Don't Ditch Dairy
As a part of United Dairy Industry of Michigan's Medical Outreach efforts, UDIM sponsored Michael Zemel, Ph.D. to speak about dairy calcium's role in weight management at Michigan State University (MSU)’s 29th Annual Food and Nutrition Conference on March 6, 2002. Dr. Zemel's presentation, “The Metabolic Shift: Calcium and Weight Control,” highlighted the results of eight years of research on cellular calcium regulation. Over eighty health professionals and nutrition educators attended this session and it sparked great interest and was very well received.
Although preliminary, Dr. Zemel’s research indicates that calcium from milk, yogurt, and cheese may aid weight loss efforts. Dr. Zemel and other scientists are working on additional research to validate these findings. The theory is that on a weight-reduction diet, a daily calcium intake of 1000-1300 mg of calcium (3-4 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese) leads fat cells to make less fat and to burn more. “The take-home message from the presentation is: if you’re reducing calories in an effort to lose weight, don’t ditch dairy,” commented Karen Giles-Smith, Registered Dietitian and Manager of Nutrition Communications with UDIM.
Dr. Zemel is Chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has authored over 100 refereed publications regarding the role of cell calcium regulation in obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension. His investigations have been featured in several consumer publications including Reader’s Digest, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Weekend magazine.
UDIM also participated in MSU’s Food and Nutrition Conference as an exhibitor and provided conference attendees with a block of prize-winning MSU Dairy Store Cheddar Cheese.
