DAIRY PROMOTING WEIGHT LOSS, HEALTHY DIETS THIS SUMMER

LYNNE MILLER

NEW YORK -- Retailers might soon see an increase in dairy sales as two new promotions targeting women position dairy products as healthful food choices and as weight-loss products.

Aimed at mothers, the 3-A-Day of Dairy campaign's "Try 3 for 3" promotion offers $5 rebates to families who buy milk, cheese and yogurt every week for three consecutive weeks. In supermarkets, consumers will have a chance to taste the merchandise: About 30 retailers will conduct 7,700 sampling days featuring milk, cheese and yogurt. Participating stores will have signs, 3-A-Day magnets, and "Try 3 for 3" trackers -- a personal consumption chart designed to help families track their three servings of dairy a day for three weeks. The design will include rebate information.

Consumers who visit www.3aday.org can use the new "snackulator," a survey of snacking habits, to access various recipes that fit their consumption profiles. Chefs from around the country were enlisted to create recipes using milk, cheese or yogurt.

At the same time, the Milk Processor Education Program has launched the "24/24 Milk Your Diet. Lose Weight!" campaign to educate consumers about new research that links milk to weight loss. The campaign is designed to be flexible by encouraging people to consume 24 ounces of milk a day through any number of ways -- adding it to coffee, pouring it on cereal or drinking it straight, a spokeswoman for Milk PEP told SN.

The initiative made its inaugural splash at a recent public relations effort at New York's South Street Seaport that included a special milk toast, bone density screenings, a group workout led by fitness trainers from Bally Total Fitness, and a milk moustache photo booth. Celebrities including TV's Dr. Phil and the actress Kelly Preston have been recruited to appear in print ads touting milk and the weight-loss connection.

The campaign's Milk Mustache Mobile advertises the weight-loss message on one side, while the other side promotes milk's flavor variety and single-serve convenience. The vehicle carries a portable "sampling bar" that is set up inside stores, malls and other high-traffic areas to give consumers the opportunity to taste milk smoothies, or ask nutrition experts health questions.

Also, a new consumer Web site, www.2424milk.com, will replace www.HealthyWeightWithMilk.com. The new site will contain materials to teach consumers about the nutritional benefits of milk, said Milk PEP officials.

The research associating milk to weight loss is a ray of hope for fluid dairy marketers, who have been battling declining sales figures this year. The positive findings will be used for promotional purposes beyond the 24/24 campaign, the Milk PEP spokeswoman said.

"We've all known for a long time milk is good for you," said Julie Buric, senior director of promotions for the Washington-based International Dairy Foods Association. "The added benefit is it helps you lose weight. It's big news. We see it as a real growth opportunity as people embrace the science and keep adding milk into their diets. We definitely have plans to carry it over to 2005."