Talking Shop with... Julia Kadison 2018-01-01 (2)

Julia Kadison, CEO, Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), says by implementing The Great American Milk Drive in-store, retailers can drive incremental sales of milk. How does milk play a role in the consumer psyche and shopping habits? Julia Kadison: Nine in 10 consumers say it is important to get enough protein in their diet, yet many consumers are unaware that milk naturally comes with the protein they want. With 8-grams of protein in every 8-ounce glass, milk is one of the best ways to get protein—it is affordable, versatile and high quality. Milk’s versatility also provides a prime opportunity for retailers to create cross-store protein pairings. In fact, recent research suggests consumers are motivated by specific protein meal goals (experts recommend 25-30 grams per meal), so retailers can cross-merchandise in-store, showcasing protein pairings with milk through a range of combinations—focusing on meal solutions and protein pairings to reach the mealtime recommendations. Additionally, retailers can promote real milk’s protein advantage at the dairy aisle with POS materials highlighting the 8-grams of protein in each serving and leverage MilkPEP content to highlight milk’s protein pairability with articles, recipes, infographics, photos, videos and more. Talk about The Great American Milk Drive and how it can help retailers lift milk sales. The Great American Milk Drive’s unique partnership between the dairy industry and Feeding America addresses the critical need for milk in local food banks across the country and is specifically optimized for the retail environment. Milk is one of the most-requested items at food banks, but it is seldom donated as a perishable good. Retailers coast-to-coast are helping to change that by putting critical gallons of milk on the tables of families that need it most. By implementing The Great American Milk Drive in-store, retailers can drive incremental sales of milk gallons and new consumer foot-traffic back to their stores with custom milk vouchers, build a stronger community connection with local donations directly impacting the store’s community and leverage customizable, turnkey assets from MilkPEP to easily activate. Where does chocolate milk fit in for retailers? MilkPEP’s BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign is part of a long-term, multi-million dollar multi-channel strategy to inspire athletes to perform at their best and recover with lowfat chocolate milk. With a 360-degree campaign featuring NBA superstar Kevin Love and U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team star Kelley O’Hara, the campaign has captured the attention of everyday athletes. By increasing the number of athletes and everyday exercisers who include chocolate milk as part of their post-workout routine, the campaign can help drive demand, consumption and sales of chocolate milk at retail. Research shows that awareness of this campaign is strong and consistently increasing. In fact, adult exercisers aware of the campaign are 60 percent more likely to recall “the benefit of drinking chocolate milk after exercise” than those unaware. This significant increase in awareness of chocolate milk as a recovery beverage has consequently had a positive effect on chocolate milk consumption. And recent sales data shows flavored milk volume in IRI-tracked retail outlets increased 5.1 percent so far in 2015, including an uptick of 9.2 percent in period seven (6/14–7/12) versus last year. In addition, volume in periods four through seven were the highest for those periods in the past five years. By stocking chocolate milk, retailers are able to tap into a key audience and new usage occasion with adult athletes. How should retailers contact MilkPEP to learn more? For more information on MilkPEP’s campaigns, partnership opportunities, tools and resources, or how to get involved, visit gotmilksales.org or contact us at [email protected] or 1-800-945-MILK.s