From July 2015 to May 2016, DFC used a strategic mix of mass media, educational tools, retail promotions, food and lifestyle events, sponsorships, fairs and exhibition shows, and online campaigns to increase cheese consumption among Canadians. Here are some highlights from the marketing activities carried out over the last year.

National advertising campaign

In 2015, DFC launched an advertising campaign under the theme "Canadian Cheese: A Truly Canadian Pleasure". From August to December 2015, two new 30-second television spots aired on conventional and specialty networks across Canada. The "Paris" ad was back on television for the first half of 2016, along with online videos to support the campaign. Print ads were published in several popular food and lifestyle magazines in 2015, and this activity will continue in 2016. In the fall of 2015, out-of-home billboards with region-specific messages were displayed in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

An online campaign also took place and included online banners, social media activities and a partnership with two popular food bloggers. In addition, DFC updated the cheese repertoire on allyouneedischeese.ca, which now boasts information on nearly 500 Canadian cheeses.

Fairs, exhibits and sponsorships

Between July 2015 and May 2016, DFC sponsored a total of 19 food-oriented events (e.g., the Niagara New Vintage Festival, The Big Taste in Calgary) and took part in 12 fairs and exhibits (e.g., The Outdoor Adventure Show in Vancouver, the Fall Ideal Home Show in Halifax) across Canada (with the exception of Quebec). These events provided an ideal environment to educate consumers about the quality, variety and goodness of Canadian cheese. We also visited three shows in Ontario with the Canadian Cheese Counter, which allows us to give cooking demonstrations and cheese seminars in any venue.

Retail promotions

In the fall and winter of 2015, four retail promotions took place in selected stores and regions (Loblaws in Ontario, Longo's in Ontario and Sobeys out West, in Ontario and Atlantic Canada). A national (with the exception of Quebec) holiday promotion also took place in December. Activities included in-store media, advertising in store flyers, sampling, recipe booklets and advertising.

Since it was launched in 2008, the Recharge with Milk (RwM) campaign has been instrumental in developing chocolate milk’s market share in the post-workout recovery beverage category in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. The 2015 campaign objective was to help increase consumption by reinforcing the benefits of chocolate milk as a post-workout recovery beverage and cementing it into an athlete’s ritual.

The campaign used a strategic mix of television and online advertising, social media activities, sports event sponsorships and promotional contests in Mac’s and Circle K stores. These activities gave us the opportunity to communicate with the target audience—physically active Canadians—when they were most receptive (e.g., at sports events and on social media).

The rechargewithmilk.ca website was also regularly updated with nutrition and workout-related blog articles to continually reinforce our messages and educate consumers about the benefits of chocolate milk.

Sponsorships— a great way to reach consumers

Event sponsorship is an important part of the RwM campaign, as it allows us to increase awareness of the brand, meet with active consumers and remind them to keep chocolate milk top-of-mind when reaching for a post-workout recovery beverage.

In 2015, RwM sponsored 44 events in Ontario and Atlantic Canada (triathlons, marathons, basketball, rugby, mountain biking), which represent 47 days of privileged interaction with our target market. These sponsorships allowed us to interact with over 58,000 athletes, to whom approximately 53,000 samples of chocolate milk were distributed.

The 2015 Recharge Rewards contest, which was promoted through an online campaign, social media engagement and event sponsorships, delivered on the primary objective of increasing repeat entries. This means that it was successful in encouraging consumers to make chocolate milk a more consistent part of their workout routine.

The 2016 campaign began in the spring. It conveys the new “Beat every sunrise” tagline, with the idea of challenging oneself every day with the support of chocolate milk. Activities include out-of-home advertising, social media, an in-store promotion, and event sponsorship.

DFC’s ever-popular Milk Calendar was launched in November 2015, with the bulk of the 2.5 million copies distributed in Ontario (80%) and the Maritimes (14%) via newspaper and magazine insertions. In addition, events were held in Toronto and Halifax to stimulate interest and give away additional copies. The western provincial boards also ordered about 150,000 copies for distribution in their regions.

The Milk Calendar helps increase usage of milk in the kitchen by providing recipes that use at least 1 cup of milk and significant amounts of other dairy products (cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt). For the 39th edition, DFC created a synergy between the Milk Every Moment and All You Need Is Cheese brands by integrating themes common to these two campaigns, that is pairing milk and cheese with other foods and creating special moments with family and friends.

The Calendar, which is mainly targeted at women with children under 18 years old, features 19 new delicious and nutritious recipes made with milk products. Consumers who did not receive their copy via newspapers or online ordering can download the Calendar at milkcalendar.ca, or consult the recipes online. The website also contains 13 mouth-watering recipe videos featuring Chef Caroline McCann.

The Calendar’s promotional campaign, which ran in November 2015, included ads online and in social media, print ads (in newspapers and in Today’s Parent magazine) and video ads in selected Walmart superstores. It also included a public relations campaign with food writer and recipe developer Heather Trim and Chef Renée Lavallée. Overall, the public relations campaign generated 16.54 million media impressions and a total of 87 media stories. In addition, the 13 monthly recipe videos will be promoted on various websites via an online campaign throughout the year.

In 2015, DFC’s multicultural campaign aimed once again to encourage Chinese and South Asian Canadians to increase their consumption of dairy products. Promotional activities were conducted to educate these communities on the health benefits of Canadian dairy products and on ways to integrate them into their traditional cuisine. Here is an overview of activities undertaken last year.

Over the last few years, DFC has been committed to strengthening its relationships with many partners, including Loblaws, Sobeys and General Mills – to name but a few.

The Fuelling Women Champions (FWC) movement, focused on the advancement of women in sport, is a unique opportunity for Canada’s dairy farmers to help drive social change while tapping into a sponsorship category that no other brand is invested in.

It’s a great cause for dairy farmers to support as it is aligned with their values of maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating, and it’s a great way to reach out to women, a key consumer segment for DFC’s marketing activities.

Overview of activities and results

During the initiative’s inaugural year—spring of 2015 to March 2016—, the main objectives aimed to establish credibility and bring more awareness to women’s sports. It was brought to life across several platforms and activities, including sponsorships, events, television advertising, public relations, the womenchampions.ca website, and digital and social media marketing activities.

Throughout 2015, FWC made significant progress in terms of performance and impact on consumers’ behaviour or attitude.