BOARD TEAMS WITH LIFE, FUJI FILM FOR 'MILK MOUSTACHE' PHOTO CONTEST

PAMELA BLAMEY

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Capitalizing on the publicity achieved through the "milk mustache" advertising campaign, the National Fluid Milk Processors Promotion Board has teamed up with LIFE magazine and Fuji film for a new promotional milk mustache photo contest.

Consumers are invited to submit a color photograph of themselves, friends, or family members sporting milk mustaches, according to a statement from the Board. Over 1,000 prizes will be awarded and the photo that takes the Grand Prize will be featured in a full-page ad in a future issue of LIFE magazine. A proof of purchase for a gallon of milk or the equivalent is required for each entry.

"Basically, it is an extension of our advertising campaign," said Jeff Tripichian, vice president of marketing for NFMPPB. "Every marketer's goal is to move through advertising to the store and to the consumer, and this campaign does that."

"We've had a significant number of retailers who have heard about it and beat the processors to the punch, saying 'I want to participate, how do I get involved?"' The photo contest begins on July 1, but retailers have begun receiving materials in recent weeks, Tripichian said.

"There has never been a national campaign like this," he told SN. "This will be [featured] at supermarkets across the country."

Cross merchandising will play a big role in the campaign, he added, citing Fuji film's offer of "buy three rolls of film, get a half-gallon of milk free."

"We also have [a promotion] coming up this fall with Keebler, and then one with Reebok around January or February," said Tripichian.

Point-of-sale materials available to retailers include a dairy case banner, and shelf card/tear pad combinations for the front of milk wells in dairy cases.

"Also, we have designed side panels for cartons, which the processor can take as-is or customize."