JEWEL-OSCO PROMOTES NEW LOOK OF DEAN 2004-06-07 (1)

LYNNE MILLER

CHICAGO -- In cooperation with longtime supplier-partner Dean Foods Co., Jewel-Osco recently promoted the new, contemporary look of the dairy company's logo in full-page newspaper ads and a variety of in-store marketing materials.

The print ads talked about -- and showed off -- Dean's blue, white and gold logo, which was designed to be bigger for a more prominent look on packages. In stores, consumers found point-of-purchase materials, ceiling danglers and shelf-talkers promoting the change. Jewel-Osco also highlighted the company's products in store ads over a four-week period this spring.

The promotional flurry had a direct impact: Store officials reported an average 4% increase in sales of Dean products across multiple dairy categories, a chain representative told SN. Jewel-Osco, with 284 stores, is a division of Albertsons, Boise, Idaho.

Consumers here are well-acquainted with Dean, the dominant brand name in the retailer's dairy cases. In addition to several branded categories, Dean also produces the milk Jewel-Osco sells under its private label, Fieldcrest.

"Dean in Chicago has a lot of heritage," Doug Cygan, Jewel-Osco's vice president of general merchandise and grocery merchandising, told SN. Jewel-Osco "has been with them for as many years as I can remember."

Officials at Dean's Dairy Group knew the company's name had equity with consumers, and decided it was time to redo the logo to highlight the moniker on packaging. It wasn't the first logo change for Dean. Yet when a company its size gives the logo a makeover, it's a big deal. The change affected more than 300 stockkeeping units, and 15 of the company's plants in 20 states, said Patrick McColgan, vice president of sales and marketing for Dean's Midwest division.

"The name stands out," McColgan said of the new look. "The name pops on the jug."

Dean launched a year-long, million-dollar promotion to highlight the change. In addition to Jewel-Osco stores, the "New Look" campaign was rolled out at several thousand participating supermarkets in the Chicago and Indianapolis markets, as well as Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee, Wis. The campaign includes print advertising in major dailies, radio ads, coupons and in-store, enter-to-win contests with a $50,000 kitchen makeover as the grand prize.

Dean's Dairy Group division is the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products in the country. Dean is also the leading manufacturer of soy milk, organic milk and other organic foods, through its White Wave and Horizon Organic subsidiaries.