RETAILERS BOWL FOR SUPER DAIRY PROMOTION

CHRISTINE BLANK

ROSEMONT, Ill. - Wal-Mart, Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway are among the 30 national chains encouraging shoppers to eat dairy as part of a Super Bowl promotion that kicked off this month.

Dubbed "How Will You Get Your 3-A-Day on Game Day?" the campaign teams national grocery chains with Dairy Management Inc., the promotion organization for dairy farmers based here.

Marketers are urging shoppers to buy milk, yogurt and cheese via sampling events and a Super Bowl serving bowl offer.

Consumers who buy the products during the same shopping trip between Jan. 8 and Feb. 12 are eligible to purchase a 40th anniversary commemorative serving bowl for $14.99, featuring all 40 Super Bowl logos.

Shoppers are urged to visit DMI's Web site, 3aday.org, to order the serving bowl, win prizes and freebies, and sign up to be a "3-A-Day Mom."

In only its second Super Bowl promotion, DMI hopes to obtain 30,000 orders for the bowl, which would match the response to last year's campaign. That one gave consumers a chance to purchase a Super Bowl cheese board for $5.99, with the purchase of milk, yogurt and cheese.

More than 5,000 in-store sampling events will be held Jan. 8 through Feb. 12, offering various brand name and store brand milk, cheese and yogurt items.

The items sampled vary by retailer, but Scott Hunt, vice president, national retail accounts, DMI, said it's important to include both private label and national brands.

"It brings the industry together and focuses on a consumption opportunity, so we can achieve the goal of total category growth," Hunt said.

The multi-channel campaign included a national freestanding insert drop Jan 15, which was expected to reach 40 million consumers, a magazine advertising campaign, along with radio and television spots.

The television ads will run through Feb. 5, during key daytime hours, and the national print campaign features full-page ads in women's general interest publications.